"Death had won my three friends; Death had almost won me. But now I was the one who was going to win and I was going to win by outwitting Death over and over again ... To compete with Death, as I had discovered in the mountains, was to know one was alive."

“A rational disposition must necessarily preclude a romantic outlook in life, and only the failures of this world can afford to dispense with a rational disposition.”

“'... we have to be kind, we have to be charitable and we can't condemn people just because they get in a mess...even the best people can get into ghastly messes,...we must never judge other people too harshly because although they can make awful mistakes they can still be very nice people.'”

“'He wasn't just being selfish, he was being realistic. Marriage would have been very difficult if not downright impossible.'”

“'Friendship's best,' I said, 'and friendship's forever because no baby can come along to spoil it.'”

“Kester wrote about people and since human nature doesn't change his observations hadn't dated.”

“Again, be patient. And have courage. Remember, everything passes, even the most unspeakable horrors.”