Quotes in italics appear in the book, but are attributed to someone other than the author.

"... I wondered what it felt like to see yourself reflected in every movie, to have friends and family dropping little hints about your love life, to have the world open up to you in all its magnificence. What did it feel like to not have to think about your every move, to not be scrutinized for everything you did, to not have to lie every day?" (148)

"Love, over time, could either blossom or wither, become a source of wonder or a remembered ache." (194)

"Outside of the context of a political war between faith and reason, more nuanced arrangements may be safely undertaken." —Jennifer Michael Hecht (203)

"Rules are empty in themselves, violent and unfinalized; they are impersonal and can be bent to any purpose. The successes of history belong to those who have used them, invert their meaning, and redirect them against those who had initially imposed them." —Michel Foucault (203)

"Love could come to you even in a room that seemed drained of it." (231)

"I came to therapy thinking that my sexuality didn't matter, but it turned out that every part of my personality was intimately connected. Cutting one piece damaged the rest." (294)

"... I had already been given a gift that no one could ever take from me. I was alive, and now I had the benefit of knowing it. I was alive, and this was all I needed." (327)

"But then I turn on the news, read a few articles, and realize that what I have experienced may have been unique, but in no way was it disconnected from history. Minorities continue to be abused and manipulated by both nefarious and well-intentioned groups of people, and harmful ideas continue to develop new political strains all over the world." (328)