I guess I did miss Dante-even though I tried hard to not think about him. The problem with trying hard not to think about something was that you thought about it even more.

The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.

Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.

I wondered if my smile was as big as hers. Maybe as big. But not as beautiful.

Water was something he loved, something he respected. He understood its beauty and its dangers. He talked about swimming as if it were a way of life.

I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand.

How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Dante Quintana?

The day he came home from the hospital, he cried. I held him. I thought he would never stop.I knew that a part of him would never be the same.They cracked more than his ribs.

You can’t expect to go both ways when you’re driving on a one-way street.

It started to rain and we just sat. Sat and watched the rain in silence.

Everyone was always becoming someone else.Sometimes, when you were older, you became someone younger. And me, I felt old. How can aguy who’s about to turn seventeen feel old?

You must learn to relate to God in the midst of your daily responsibilities and weekly routines because they occupy the majority of your life.

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.

However, don't let these statistics mislead you, gang violence is not limited to California and or big urban areas - that might have been true a while ago but it is no longer the case today.

Some people have written that my writing has helped them go on. It has helped me too. The writing, the roses, the 9 cats.

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.

You have to be disgusted with your current circumstances before your circumstances can change.

Humble in a humble state and great in greatness, I will work out the divinity that is busy within my mind.

In meditation, whatever happens is bound to be expressed in creativity.

I did an internship with Mike (Shanahan) and the Redskins last summer and I knew after a week and a half that it wasn't for me. I think I knew that going in, but I wanted to make sure.

Certainly one of the highest duties of the citizen is a scrupulous obedience to the laws of the nation. But it is not the highest duty.