A man must master his circumstances or otherwise be mastered by them. (pg. 28)
What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour. (pgs. 120, 121)
To what end, he wondered, had the Divine created the stars in heaven to fill a man with feelings of inspiration one day and insignificance the next? (pg. 125)
For it is hardly our purpose at this late stage to log a
new portfolio of lasting memories.
Rather, we should be dedicating ourselves to ensuring that they taste
freely of experience. And we must do so
without trepidation. Rather than tucking
in blankets and buttoning up coats, we must have faith in them to tuck and
button on their own. And if they fumble
with their newfound liberty, we must remain composed, generous, judicious. We must encourage them to venture out from
under our watchful gaze, and then sigh with pride when they pass at last
through the revolving doors of life. (pg. 322)
No matter how much time passes, those we have loved never
slip away from us entirely. (pg. 327)
For what matters in life is not whether we receive a
round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth
despite the uncertainty of acclaim. (pgs. 387, 388)
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