Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

"[T]he race is long - to finish first, first you must finish."

"Because memory is time folding back on itself. To remember is to disengage from the present. In order to reach any kind of success in automobile racing, a driver must never remember."

"Inside each of us resides the truth, I began, the absolute truth. But sometimes the truth is hidden in a hall of mirrors. Sometimes we believe we are viewing the real thing, when in fact we are viewing a facsimile, a distortion."

"He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave."

"Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end."

"There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."

"People are always worried about what's happening next. They often find it difficult to stand still, to occupy the now without worrying about the future. People are generally not satisfied with what they have; they are very concerned with what they are going to have."

"To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter everyday. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to."

"Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

"He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave."

"Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

"We too, must shatter the mirrors. We must look in to ourselves and root out the distortions until that thing which we know in our hearts is perfect and true, stands before us."

"He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave."