David Sedaris:

It's ridiculous how often you have to say hello on Emerald Isle. Passing someone on the street is one thing, but you have to do it in stores as well, not just to the employees who greet you at the door but to your fellow-shoppers in aisle three.

Liliana Segura:

The truth is, yes, even "hello" can feel like an unwelcome demand.

Jonathan Franzen:

When you stay in your room and rage or sneer or shrug your shoulders, as I did for many years, the world and its problems are impossibly daunting. But when you go out and put yourself in real relation to real people, or even just real animals, there's a very real danger that you might love some of them.

And who knows what might happen to you then?

John Wood:

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.