There are so many things to be tortured about. So many torturous things in this life. Don’t let someone who doesn’t love you be one of them. - Cheryl Strayed

Romantic love is not a competitive sport.

Who is tougher than me? The answer was always the same, and even when I knew absolutely there was no way on this earth it was true, I said it anyway: No one.

Each night the black sky and the bright stars were my stunning companions; occasionally I'd see their beauty and solemnity so plainly that I'd realize in a piercing way that my mother was right. That someday I would be grateful and that in fact I was grateful now, that I felt something growing in me that was strong and real.