“I move one seat closer to the couple on the bus. They are holding hands but she is looking out her window and he is looking at his lap. They don’t seem to be mad at each other.” — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“Sometimes he gives a little flourish with his fingers that makes me wonder if all his movements are a quiet performance.” — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“I pause when the man at the register lays down a red carnation with my change, says quietly, “This is for you,” and turns… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“Sonata,” he says, “means ‘sounding together.’ It is an argument in which one theme is presented in opposition to another and they struggle until… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“I think I remember him saying that the problem with a tire fire is that it can smolder for years, burning quietly but uncontrollably.” — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
Wealthier countries have the luxury of entertaining fears the rest of the world cannot afford. — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“as Jean-Paul Sartre put it, “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” What” — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
A trust-in the sense of a valuable asset placed in the care of someone to whom it does not ultimately belong-captures, more or less,… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“When he says, “Why can’t you follow a recipe?” I am hurt, because I know that he is not just asking why I can’t… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“We had been arguing for hours and it was dark in the room. We sat silently on the couch, I was tapping my foot… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
I thought, how would I feel if my son gave one of those [underprivileged] kids chicken pox? For him it's not a terrible thing.… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“Mother: “He used to say that you could lock me in a closet and I’d still get something out of it. I guess that’s… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image
“I was shaking when I asked my mother, “Do you think you eat enough?” She was silent for a long time until she said… — Eula Biss Copy Share Image