The most important things to say are those which often I did not think necessary for me to say — because they were too obvious.

Why do people assume? If I hate you, I'll tell you. In this case, it's not hate. It's hurt. I'll lick my wounds, which only oozed because I gave a damn, and be over it before the sun rises.

Assuming less does not make you naive, it makes you a better listener.

Most of us make assumptions about how someone will relate to us, and they are often unfounded.

It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for something you are not.

Know that joy is rarer, more difficult, and more beautiful than sadness. Once you make this all-important discovery, you must embrace joy as a moral obligation.