Olive was furious. "I don't fly first-class," she said.

Jack had laughed. "You don't fly anywhere," he said, and that made her angrier.

"I'm not flying first-class. It's obscene."

"Obscene?" Jack sat down at the kitchen table and watched her, still with amusement in his face. "I like obscene." When she didn't answer him he said, "You know what, Olive? You're a snob."

"I'm the opposite of a snob."

Jack laughed a long time. "You think being a reverse snob is not being a snob? Olive, you're a snob." Then he leaned forward and said, "Oh come on, Olive. For Christ's sake. I'm seventy-eight years old, I have money, you have money - though, yes 

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

"But I haven't had it for a few years, and so I wonder: Did I make it up? But I know I didn't, Bernie [...] But whenever someone says they're an atheist, I always privately have this bad reaction, and they give all the obvious reasons, you know, kids get cancer, earthquakes kill people, all that kind of stuff. But when I hear them, I think: But you are barking up the wrong tree."

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

Oak Trees
R. Ellison

"People live with things," Bernie said. "They do. I am always amazed at what people live with."

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

" [...] Have a cry like you've never had in your life. And when you're done, get yourself something to eat. I bet you haven't eaten a thing all day."

"You're right, I haven't. And I will eat something, I promise. But I don't feel like crying anymore, Bernie. I feel... I feel like I could practically sing."

"Then do that," he said.

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

"When I was a kid, and alone [...] I would take these walks and I would get this feeling, this very deep sensation, and I understood - only the way a kid could understand these things - that it had something to do with God. But I don't mean God like some father figure, I don't even know what I mean - "

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

"Anita," Fergus said, turning to her. "This is a hell of a world we live in."

"Oh, I know," Anita said casually. She nodded. "Yuh, I know." She added, "Always has been, I suspect."

"Do you think so?" Fergus asked. He looked at her through his sunglasses. "Do you think it has always been this bad, really? It seems to me like things are getting crazier."

Anita shrugged. "I think they've always been crazy. That's my view." [...]

After another few moments he said, "Things all right with you, Anita?"

She gave a sigh that made her cheeks expand for a moment. "Nah." She looked both ways on the road and said, "Gary's been a mess since he got laid off, and that was a few years ago, and my kids are crazy." She looked at Fergus and made a circle around her ear with her forefinger. She said, "I mean, they are really crazy." She shook her head. "You know what my oldest son is into? He watches some Japonese reality shows on his computer where the contestants sniff each other's butts."

Fergus looked over at her. "God," he said. Then he said, "Come on, Anita, the world has certainly gotten crazier."

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

Olive sat forward and said, "Cindy Coombs, there's not one goddamn person in this world who doesn't have a bad memory or two to take with them through life." She sat back and crossed her feet at her ankles. 

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

"You all know who you are. If you just look at yourself and listen to yourself, you know exactly who you are. And don't forget it."

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

Maybe you fall in love with people who save your life, even when you think it's not worth saving. 

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)

Cindy said, "Mrs.Kitteridge, did you get married? Tom said he heard you married Jack Kennison [...] She said, "Yes, it's true. I have married Jack Kennison." [...] we're both old enough to know things now, and that's good."

"What things?"

"When to shut up, mainly"

"What things do you shut up about?" Cindy asked [...] "Well, for example, when he has his breakfast, I don't say to him, Jack, why the hell do you have to scrape your bowl so hard" [...] Imagine at my age, starting over again [...] "But it's never starting over, Cindy, it's just continuing on."

Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (2019)
Penguin Random House UK (2019)