All any of us wanted, really, was to know that we counted. T... - Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care

"When you love someone, you say their name different. Like it's safe inside your mouth."

"But love wasn't about sacrifice, and it wasn't about falling short of someone's expectations. By definition, love made you better than good enough; it redefined perfection to include your traits, instead of excluding them. All any of us wanted, really, was to know that we counted. That someone else's life would not have been as rich without us here."

"It felt like I'd been living underground, and for a moment, I'd been given this glimpse of the sky. Once you've seen that, how can you go back where you came from?"

"People always say that, when you love someone, nothing in the world matters. But that's not true, is it? You know, and I know, that when you love someone, everything in the world matters a little bit more."

"All any of us wanted, really, was to know that we counted. That someone else's life would not have been as rich without us here."