“Desert this mad and unfounded obsession with the so-called truth. In pursuit of truth, you are guaranteed a long and perilous run through a semantic maze that derives meaning only from your undivided attention.”

“From where inspiration comes, I don’t know. But that we seek fulfillment in a companion suggests we desire an object onto which we may project our gratitude. Many of these objects do not transcend the imagination . . . nor do they need to.”

“Play both sides against the middle and the middle against itself.”

“We have become so obsessed by numbers and by bottom lines that beauty and truth has been knocked aside.”

“Can you speak to the dead…like your sister?"Ms. Dupré's body seems to loosen, and her voice gets soft as a feather against your skin. "No, child. But you can say goodbye to someone even after he's gone. You just have to find a way that's right for you.”

“An author is free, even here in hell, if he knows that the literary agent is almighty and that he by himself is impotent.”

“Emma laughed, even though she wanted to cry and scream and run away all at the same time. Jake put his arms around her, and she felt calmer. He has a mellowness that rubs off on people, Emma has noticed. But it's not just being mellow. There is something kind about him. He knows when people need him, she thinks. He knows that she needs him.”