"Must you write complete sentences each time, every time? Perish the thought."

"Books are a uniquely portable magic."

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

"The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words make them seem smaller than they were when they were in your head. …"

"The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle."