In this irresistible memoir, the New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize Anna Quindlen writes about looking back and ahead—and celebrating it all—as she considers marriage, girlfriends, our mothers, faith, loss, all the stuff in our closets, and more. Quindlen talks about Marriage: “A safety net of small white lies can be the bedrock of a successful marriage. You wouldn’t believe how cheaply I can do a kitchen renovation.” Girlfriends: “Ask any woman how she makes it through the day, and she may mention her calendar, her to-do lists, her babysitter. But if you push her on how she really makes it through her day, she will mention her girlfriends. Sometimes I will see a photo of an actress in an unflattering dress or a blouse too young for her or with a heavy-handed makeup job, and I mutter, ‘She must not have any girlfriends.’ ” Stuff: “Here’s what it comes down to, really: there is now so much stuff in my head, so many years, so many memories, that it’s taken the place of primacy away from the things in the bedrooms, on the porch. My doctor says that, contrary to conventional wisdom, she doesn’t believe our memories flag because of a drop in estrogen but because of how crowded it is in the drawers of our minds. Between the stuff at work and the stuff at home, the appointments and the news and the gossip and the rest, the past and the present and the plans for the future, the filing cabinets in our heads are not only full, they’re overflowing.” Our bodies: “I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and in the years to come. It’s like a car, and while I like a red convertible or even a Bentley as well as the next person, what I really need are four tires and an engine.” Parenting: “Being a parent is not transactional. We do not get what we give. It is the ultimate pay-it-forward endeavor: We are good parents not so they will be loving enough to stay with us but so they will be strong enough to leave us.” 中译《不曾走过,怎会懂得》 内容简介：当初，谁没在青春的路口彷徨过？后来，谁没在未来的道途中走岔过？再后来，谁没在人生的弯道上彻悟过？因为走过，我们愈发懂得。人生是什么？人生就是我们脚下的路，是一连串生命的体验，更是一次灵魂的远行。在远行的漫漫长途中，我们路过迷惘，路过失望，路过欣喜，路过淡然，路过一切繁华消殆的时光。它蹉跎了我们，也沉淀了我们；它剥去了我们青春的衣裳，也脱下了我们的年少无知与轻狂。那些我们走过的弯路也好，受过的疼痛也罢，都是来度我们的。最终，那些属于我们的，还是会出现在我们要走过的路上。所以，亲爱的，走吧，有些路你不走下去，就不知道它有多美。