"I know you think that we saved you or something, Jeremy,' he said. 'That we were stronger than you. But we're not. We weren't. We're all just trying to survive however we can."

"Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced. . . . It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but it's a healthy feeling. It is a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different."

"New Orleans is unlike any city in America. Its cultural diversity is woven into the food, the music, the architecture - even the local superstitions. It's a sensory experience on all levels and there's a story lurking around every corner."

"I have a big hole in my heart,' I said. 'But it'll close over.'I don't want to sound all Dr. Phil,' she said. 'But don't let the scab seal the pain in, okay?'That's good advice,' I said. 'I hope I can manage it."

"IT is only when we are no longer in control--because of sickness, death, or our own bad choices--that we no longer cling. The path to salvation is the path of humiliation."

"You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward."