“I am beginning to measure myself in strength, not pounds. Sometimes in smiles.”

“Whether I pound or am being pounded,
all the same there will be moaning!”

“George smiles to himself, with entire self-satisfaction. Yes, I am crazy, he thinks. That is my secret; my strength.”

“You will not believe me, but I am proud of your strength. Sometimes… sometimes the only way I can care for my children is to keep my distance.”

“I am beginning to feel the need of a glass of wine to fortify myself against this conversation.”

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of.”

“I inhabit the wax image of myself, a doll's body. Sickness begins here; I am a dartboard for witches.”

“Physical strength is measured by what we carry.
Inner strength is measured by what we can bear.”

“I reminded myself that Khang Phi is bereft of arms. That the monks abhor violence. That they always yield to strength, then seduce it with reason and wisdom.
Yes, sometimes it does take a while.”

“Once I was lost in a forest. I was so afraid. My blood pounded in my chest and I knew my heart's strength would soon be exhausted. I saved myself without thinking. I grasped the two syllables closest to me, and replaced my heartbeat with your name.”