"We hide our racism. We just go on about our lives - may I say, white Canadians go on about their lives. African-Canadians understand racism, Indigenous Canadians understand racism: they see it all the time, they live with it."

“I found more joy in sorrow than you could find in joy.”

Source : Sappho, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Amy Lowell, Sara Teasdale (2018). “Wild Nights: Heart Wisdom from Five Women Poets”, p.94, Courier Dover Publications

“It seemed an advantage to be traveling alone. Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others...Being closely observed by a companion can also inhibit our observation of others; then, too, we may become caught up in adjusting ourselves to the companion's questions and remarks, or feel the need to make ourselves seem more normal than is good for our curiosity.”

“When I ask, “How are you?” that is really what I want to know. I am not asking how many items are on your to-do list, nor asking how many items are in your inbox. I want to know how your heart is doing, at this very moment. Tell me. Tell me your heart is joyous, tell me your heart is aching, tell me your heart is sad, tell me your heart craves a human touch. Examine your own heart, explore your soul, and then tell me something about your heart and your soul.”

“Excellence does not require perfection.”

“In my family, if I talk back to my dad, I get in trouble.”

“I want people to understand and recognize that when it comes to dating, you're not as crazy as you think you are. Everyone needs love. We need it like air or water. We just don't know how to get it.”

“Hold your breath. Try holding your breath for just thirty seconds. That’s all it takes. Try it right now while you are looking at this line. Now…on the twenty-ninth second, do any opinions matter?”

“Somebody gets to be smart and somebody gets to be dumb. If we win, it'll be because of the president. And if we lose, it'll be because of me.”