Quotes from Adriana Trigiani

There is nothing more peaceful than New York City at three A.M. It's the rest period before the madness begins at dawn.

I take care of your children like the priceless jewels that they are and I don't expect a thank-you for my efforts. You never have to worry about our kids because you know no harm will come to them in my care. Do you have any idea what a burden I have taken off your shoulders? The ability to relieve another human being of worry and anxiety is the single greatest act of love one can do for another and I do it for you.

Children need to see delight in the eyes of adults, if only to give them a sense that happiness is within reach, even when it isn't. Adults should be full of possibility, so the children might develop a sense of adventure. Children should live with the confidence that they are loved. Love frees them to embrace adventure, to seek truth, and to take care of one another.

He's no Ciro Lazzari. Honey, in the sweepstakes of the acquisition of handsome men, you got the golden ticket. The man you married is one in a million. But you know that.

The mother shaped the mission of the family, and if she failed, the family failed with her.

Let whoever longs to attain eternal life in heaven heed these warnings: When considering the future, contemplate these things: Death, than which nothing is more certain

Judgment, than which nothing is more strict Hell, than which nothing is more terrible Paradise, than which nothing is more delightful

It was easy to avoid his mother because she did not seek his company, make his meals, or do his laundry. His childhood home was a place to lodge until his orders came through.

A long time ago I went to a fortuneteller, and she told me that when you have a dream come true, you must then re-dream. You must not stay in the past, because all of life changes anyway, and if you try to hang on to happiness, or success, or even the people in your life, you will be unhappy. You have to set new goals.

Any small thing that reminds me of home is a treasure. Sometimes it's small—a bowl of soup that makes me think of my mother—or it's a color. I saw a blue parasol in the crowd this afternoon that reminded me of the lake by the waterwheel in Schilpario. It's the kind of thing that catches you unaware and fills you with a deep longing for everything you once knew. Don't apologize for loving this tree. If I had a tree, I'd feel the same.

Family is essential; they scoop up their own to rescue them in tragedy, to bind them close, to shore them up and heal them.

My brother, the golden boy. It's been this way all our lives. No matter what Matteo does, he is revered.

God has a bucketful of freckles, and when he's done making babies in heaven, he lines them up right before they're born and sprinkles freckles on them for good luck.

It's never enough, Ciro. Never enough. Believe me, eventually, you run out of ways to make a woman happy.

this is the difference between you native Italians and those of us called Italian Americans. You live a balanced life. You work, you eat, you rest. We don't. We can't. We live as though we have something to prove. There's never enough time, we eat on the run, and we sleep as little as possible. We believe the one who works the hardest wins." The

Ciro pointed through the

You know that wedding ring doesn't have magical powers. It doesn't give you licence to be cruel, and it can't keep you faithful.

You know what my mother always told me? ...That all the answers to all your questions are already inside of you. You just have to listen.

Somewhere in my past, I learned that if you separate yourself, you don't get hurt. Pain can be avoided.

The clock over the mantel in the beau parlor at the Milbank House ticked

You cannot have the joy of Easter without the agony of Good Friday

If we're going to be friends, I want to be useful to you. You have to know what makes a person sad to figure out how to make them happy." "What

I) realize that maybe my daughter did miss out on a big family life as an only child, but what she got instead was just as valuable. How many girls have an honorary aunt like Iva Lou? Sometimes what we don't get in this life makes way for something even better.

salad of baby spinach, artichoke hearts, and slices of fig, drizzled with olive oil and salt and a little fresh lemon juice