Intelligence always had a pornographic influence on me.

That child would stumble over the pattern in a rug.

Mother whispered, "See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.

Trust your brain to suggest a solution, then have the courage to follow through." The

under my eye, but not my thumb.

Graduation, the hush-hush magic time of frills and gifts and congratulations and diplomas, was finished for me before my name was called. The accomplishment was nothing. The meticulous maps, drawn in three colors of ink, learning and spelling decasyllabic words, memorizing the whole of The Rape of Lucrece—it was for nothing. Donleavy had exposed us.

Many of us react as though everything is a crisis because we have lived with so many crises for so long that crisis reaction has become a habit.

Control is an illusion. It doesn't work.

To believe in people, to believe in each person's inherent ability to think, feel, solve problems, and take care of themselves is a great gift we can give and receive from others.

Remember, decisions don't have to be made perfectly. We don't have to be perfect. We don't even have to be nearly perfect. We can just be who we are. We can make mistakes in our choices. We're not so fragile we can't handle making a mistake. It's no big deal! It's part of living. We can learn from our mistakes, or we can simply make another decision.

Talk to the universe. Ask it for help. Then listen to your heart. Because that quiet voice, the one in your heart, is how the universe talks to you.

A good rule of thumb is: You need to detach most when it seems the least likely or possible thing to do. I