It’s a question of wanting to know how the story turns out. And one can only know that about one story, ever.

But what are they?” Annie asked.“An omphalos, probably, ” said Jacob.“A what, dear?” Melinda asked.“A bellybutton of the world.”“I didn’t know it had one.

– I’m going to be a writer, he reminded Milo.– And you won’t need literature?– I’ll write my own.

By its nature a relationship was not an accomplishment. It was just a connection that happened to exist, for as long as it did exist.

Since he had given up men he had taken up geography. He visited a new sight or a new neighborhood nearly every weekend.

He was in the flow of time now. He was in a story.

There’s always a story that people are telling about themselves, and sometimes you can get them to tell it ever so slightly differently.

It is perhaps necessary for something dear to be lost.”“Why?”“Perhaps it is necessary to the making of a story. A story after all is a way of remembering love.

A year ago he had been in America. Two years ago he had been straight. Tonight he was underground, with the remains of the bogey man, lit by the torches of the children who had killed him.

I suppose it does come with a certain responsibility.”“What does?” asked Annie.“The magnificence of my person.”“Gah.

Like capitalism, ” Carl suggested. “‘We’ll give you so much pleasure, you’ll never want to try another socioeconomic system.

if it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?

A genius is a person who is more observant and has more patience.

Patients are almost always preceded by their parents, because no matter how fast an ambulance can drive, terrified parents can drive faster.

Know something, sugar? Stories only happen to people who can tell them.

You're either living in the problem or you're living in the solution

I like looking good. But it's also about the feeling, right?

I asked [my father] what there was to make doctoring more disgusting than nursing, which women were always doing, and which ladies had done publicly in the Crimea. He could not tell me.

I never give in to the temptation to be difficult just for the sake of being difficult. That would be too ridiculous.

I feel like it's important every once in a while to estrange ourselves from the familiar to remind ourselves of the potentialities of people, how many different ways there are of being.

What I remember as a child is that other kids didn't care about suffering. I always did.