It was one thing to make a mistake; it was another thing to keep
making it. I knew what happened when you let yourself get close to someone, when
you started to believe they loved you: you'd be disappointed. Depend on someone,
and you might as well admit you're going to be crushed, because when you really
needed them, they wouldn't be there. Either that, or you'd confide in them and
you added to their problems. All you ever really had was yourself, and that sort
of sucked it you were less than reliable.

- Handle with care, Jodi Picoult