That's what death is, Danny thought: wanting to talk to someone and not being able to.

— Jennifer Egan

The pause makes you think the song will end. And then the song isn't really over, so you're relieved. But then the song does actually end, because every song ends, obviously, and THAT. TIME. THE. END. IS. FOR. REAL.

— Jennifer Egan

The sky was electric blue above the trees, but the yard felt dark. Stephanie went to the edge of the lawn and sat her forehead on her knees. The grass and soil were still warm from the day. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. The feeling was too deep.

— Jennifer Egan

The world is full of shitheads, Rhea. Don’t listen to them—listen to me. And I know that Lou is one of those shitheads. But I listen.

— Jennifer Egan

They resumed walking. Alex felt an ache in his eyes and throat. "I don't know what happened to me," he said, shaking his head. "I honestly don't." Bennie glanced at him, a middle-aged man with chaotic silver hair and thoughtful eyes. "You grew up, Alex," he said, "just like the rest of us.

— Jennifer Egan

This is the music business. 'Five years is five hundred years' - your words.

— Jennifer Egan

Time's a goon right? Isn't that the expression?

— Jennifer Egan

Time’s a goon, right? You going to let that goon push you around?” Scotty shook his head. “The goon won.

— Jennifer Egan

Too Clear, too clean. The problem was precision, perfection; the problem was "digitization" which sucked the life out of everything that got smeared through its microscopic mesh. Film, photography, music: dead. "An aesthetic holocaust!

— Jennifer Egan

...underneath that I'd said something else: we were both a couple of as swipes, and now only I'm an as swipe; why? And underneath that, something else: once an as swipe, always an as swipe.

— Jennifer Egan