Walk Two Moons

“Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins.”

— Sal's father tells her this old Native American saying, which becomes a central theme of the book.

“You can't keep the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building nests in your hair.”

— Gram often says this, offering a folksy wisdom about dealing with grief and sadness.

“Everyone has his own agenda.”

— Phoebe repeatedly states this, reflecting her suspicious nature and her difficulty trusting people.

“We were like two trees in a forest, our branches tangled, our roots intertwined.”

— Sal describes her deep connection with her mother before her mother left.

“Sometimes you know in your heart you are living a fairy tale, and sometimes you know that you are not.”

— Sal reflects on the changing nature of her life and her perception of happiness.

“By the time I was eleven, I had learned that the world was a precarious place, and that I was not as safe as I had once thought.”

— Sal's realization after her mother's departure and the subsequent move.

“You never know what someone is going through unless you ask.”

— Sal realizes this after learning about Mrs. Cadaver's past and the struggles of her friends.

“The thing about trees is that they stand still. They don't run away.”

— Sal often finds comfort in trees, associating them with stability and her longing for her mother's return.

“It was all a big circle, and I was just trying to find my way back to the beginning.”

— Sal's internal struggle to understand and accept her mother's absence and her journey to reconcile with it.

“You could not choose your relatives, but you could choose your friends.”

— Sal reflects on her relationships with Phoebe and Ben, contrasting them with her family.

“We walked on, a little bit sadder, a little bit wiser, and a little bit closer.”

— Sal describes the emotional impact of their journey and the growing bond between her, Gram, and Gramps.

“People are like trees. They have roots, and those roots are important. They hold you up.”

— Sal's father tells her this, emphasizing the importance of family and heritage.

“Sometimes, when you're busy, you don't notice things as much.”

— Sal realizes this about her own distractions and how they sometimes prevent her from processing her emotions.

“I was starting to understand that a person's life was like a road, and you couldn't always see around the bends.”

— Sal's growing understanding of life's unpredictability and the challenges that lie ahead.