“Nothing in life is ritual.”

“To me, the persistence of my grandfather's rituals meant that he was unchanged, running on discipline and continuance and stoicism. I didn't notice, and didn't realize, that the rituals themselves were changing, that there was a difference between the rituals of comfort and the preventive rituals that come at the end of life.”

“Of all the sad rituals of this inconsequential life, dating must be the saddest of all.”

“Salvation does not lie in the rituals and profession of faith, but in a lucid understanding of the meaning of one’s life.”

“Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner.”

“Drugs?""Rituals. Are you messing around with drugs?""No. But maybe rituals.""Drugs might be better.”