“You are by far the most interesting thing I've had to look at in a long, long time.”

“To talk down to me you have to look up”

“There was power in the pen, I knew this for certain...It was there all the time, just waiting for me.”

“Melodramas of moral courage provide satisfaction through the comforting fantasy that our own character would hold steady under the most extreme pressure of dreadful events. [But we must face] the painful awareness that in all likelyhood one's own character would not have stood firm.”

“Before I left home I cut my hair close to my scalp so I could be a free woman with free thoughts, open to all possibilities. I was making a map of the world. In ancient times maps were made to help people find food, water, and the way back home. I needed a map to help me find love and language and since one didn't exist, I'd have to invent one, following the trails and signs left by other travelers. I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be the kind of woman who was bold, took chances, and had adventures. I wanted to travel around the world. It was my little-girl dream.”

“you judge me for what you see and if you know me I truly dont know you.”

“while you are struggling down the road the end of it will be the best pat of it”