It occurred to me then that a lot of life was either about wanting and not having, or having and not wanting.

Marriage is like a well-built porch. If one of the two posts leans too much, the porch collapses. So each must be strong enough to stand on its own.

...wanting things for the wrong reasons can turn anyone's life into a marshmallow on a stick over a hot fire: impossibly messy and eventually consumed, one way or another.

That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable.

The loneliness you feel with another person, the wrong person, is the loneliest of all.

You've got to say what you mean and mean what you say...Doubt in your voice is an open door people will shove right through.

You've got to have someone who loves your body. Who doesn't define you, but sees you. Who loves what he sees. Who you don't have to struggle to be good enough for.

We don't want you convicted for condiment theft. You go to that prison, you'll meet big-time operators. Maple syrup stealers.

We can get so wrapped up in our own misconceptions that we miss the simple beauty of the truth.

It was one of those times you feel a sense of loss, even though you didn't have something in the first place. I guess that's what disappointment is- a sense of loss for something you never had.

If time heals all wounds, and a book can hold a person's entire life, then you can speed up the process with a pulp time warp.

Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions.

I never mind contorting myself for a good cause.

With languages, you are at home anywhere

Poetry is the break (or rather the meeting at the breaking point) between the visible and the invisible.

I have a dog that loves to fight. It's a border collie, and they fight low to the ground. Other dogs are terrified of my dog, because he gets low and goes for the balls.

The sand-castle virtues are all swept away in the tidal destruction, the moral melee.

Water is the exile, carried back in cans and flasks, the ghost between your hands and your mouth.

a steady diet of mass culture is a form of deprivation.

Cool,” I said. “You can IM with the Council from campus. Maybe you can command people to do your homework.

Will Rogers was an American hero - someone you could get your teeth into and love.