Often the magical elements in my books are standing in for elements of the real world, the small and magical-in-their-own-right sorts of things that we take for granted and no longer pay attention to, like the bonds of friendship that entwine our own lives with those of other people and places. – Charles de Lint

One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention. – Clifton Paul Fadiman