“Yes. Da,' I corrected. 'Say it again.' 'What?"' His voice grew husky as he repeated his request. 'Say yes—in Russian—again.' I blushed. 'Da,' I whispered. 'Will you teach me more Russian, Pietr?' 'Mmm, only the important words,' he promised. I bit back my request for the three most important words to me. 'What words would you teach me?''Pocelujte menyah.' 'What's that mean?' He groaned. 'Repeat it tonight and perhaps I will show you.”

“Taking a risk to survive isn’t that impressive. Taking a risk to be happy, that takes guts.”

“Times like this were special. Memory builders. When something extraordinary happened to a person the kind of things remembered forever after it didn't have to be a life-changing event like a graduation or marriage or birth of a child. It more often was the small things. The sheer joy of summer sunlight on a fragrant flower. The giggle of a toddler. The brush of a lover's fingertips. And the person marks the moment with the flashing insight thinking... This is special. I should remember this”

“We’re adults. I might be a little more of an adult if you’re counting years but I bet I have a lower IQ, so that puts us pretty much even.”

“Not being able to think of a reply is not the same thing as accepting another's words.”

“The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing.”

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

“How can something feel so crucial in the moment and then seem completely trivial after the fact?”