"The first holy truth in God 101 is that men and women of true faith have always had to accept the mystery of God's identity and love and ways. I hate that, but it's the truth."

"Some people seem to understand this - that life and change take time - but I am not one of those people."

"The worst part about celebrating another birthday is the shock that you're only as well as you are."

"My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear."

"The river of time washes away kings and empires, leaving only virtue intact. In this truth lies the bedrock of all virtue."

"For the first half of geological time our ancestors were bacteria. Most creatures still are bacteria, and each one of our trillions of cells is a colony of bacteria."

"Time is the most impartial judge; it reveals all pretenses and rewards all patience. A lesson woven into the fabric of human history."

"It is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children's and grandchildren's fates, are decided."