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but the heart cannot flourish on logic alone. Unreason is an essential medicine as long as you do not overdose.
“I’m happy,” I assured him. For a block or so, he didn’t say anything. Then: “You’re at peace, son. There’s a big difference.”
“If you’re still, and if you don’t hope too much, peace will come to you. It’s a grace. But you have to choose happiness.”
Every life is complicated, every mind a kingdom of unmapped mysteries,
Books and excess poundage are his insulation against pain.
“Darn. I was looking forward to having a halo. It would make such a convenient reading lamp.”
The mockery of friends is affectionate, and inoculates against foolishness.”
I suppose this is blasphemous. But then, with my smart mouth, I’ve already blown any chance of sainthood.
Loneliness comes in two basic varieties. When it results from a desire for solitude, loneliness is a door we close against the world. When the world instead rejects us, loneliness is an open door, unused.
“You think you don’t deserve mercy, but mercy is yours if you’ll put aside your fear.”
“Get out of here while you can. She’s crazier than a syphilitic suicide bomber with mad-cow disease.”
THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD. YOU MIGHT have argued against that contention twenty years ago, but if you argue it in our time, you only prove that you, too, live in delusion.
When the array of paths before us is so perplexing that we can’t make a choice, or won’t, we can hope that we will be given a sign to guide us. A reliance on signs, however, can lead to the evasion of all moral obligations, and thus earn a terrible judgment.
“Grief is a healthy emotion, and it’s healthy to embrace it. By accepting loss, we clarify our values and the meaning of our lives.”
