God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I thought of my dad telling me that the universe wants to be noticed. But what we want is to be noticed by the universe, to have the universe give a shit what happens to us—not the collective idea of sentient life but each of us, as individuals.

“All cells come from cells. Every cell is born of a previous cell, which was born of a previous cell. Life comes from life. Life begets life begets life begets life begets life.”

don’t know what I believe, Hazel. I thought being an adult meant knowing what you believe, but that has not been my experience.”

Apparently the world is not a wish-granting factory.”

“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.”

Ночи ясные, но отравленные ленью и угрюмым предчувствием.

Видит бог, я искренне пытался понять, что к чему в этом мире; мне даже случалось испытывать смутные предощущения насчет того, что нам суждено просиять и прославиться.