It's a book in which one finds everything,' Stuart continues sagely. 'I cannot tell you the number of times I've opened its pages and found a line, some passing thought--the most mundane detail--speaking directly to my set of circumstances! One finds it magically relevant, as though Joyce anticipates all. It is the great repository of everything.

He cannot bear the thought of being a stereotype.

A book is a place to lose yourself and then find yourself once more. A book draws you into its world like a charming host. It should not make you regret accepting its invitation.

We all spin stories. That's what we do. We want people to see certain things about us and not others. What matters is whether you let others in to the truest story, the one that's the hardest to tell.

There is never any acknowledgment that women hold a power men lack, the greatest power for happiness on earth, their insides magically rearranging themselves to incubate a human.

The point is not to understand technology or even to enjoy it. The point is to adapt.