Victoria Moran

“My calling, as one imperfect human, is to celebrate and uphold life every time I get the chance.”

“'Make your plate look like a Christmas tree,' I tell people, 'mostly green with splashes of other bright colors.'”

“I realized I could only play-act at the spiritual life as long as my appetites were stronger than my empathy.”

“I'm a big believer in living life as an extended working vacation.”

“Being vegan is a glorious adventure. It touches every aspect of my life - my relationships, how I relate to the world.”

“Because love encompasses everything, nothing is unimportant, including tonight's dinner menu. Think about it for a minute. If you were pure love, the loving parent of all life, how would you want people to eat?”

“At forty-three, I bought my first house. I’d wanted one like crazy. A house meant family, a happy childhood for my litttle girl and for the little girl self inside me. . . . I was soon overwhelmed by the upkeep and overcome by the yardwork. . . . In the bright light of closing, it was obvious: it was never a house I wanted; it was what a house symbolized to me. (254)”

“Enjoy your food, enjoy your life.”

“I firmly believe that everyone deserves to live within walking distance of either beauty or convenience, if not both. (48)”

“You're supposed to be using your gifts and fulfilling your dreams, at every age.”

“When you believe you reflect what is holy and good, you can see more that is good in every stage of your life. (319)”

“To the people who love you, you are beautiful already. This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings but because they so clearly see your soul. Your shortcomings then dim by comparison. The people who care about you are willing to let you be imperfect and beautiful, too. (20)”

“I realize that I'm a mature woman and one of these days, incredible diet or not, I'll be a little old lady.”

“Because I was more often happy for other people, I got to spend more time being happy. And as I saw more light in everybody else, I seemed to have more myself. (250)”

“When you can see your life in retrospect, the romanticism of how good things once were gives way to the reality that positives and negatives comprise every day and every decade. (235)”

“I am an urban vegan. I love the glossy pages of 'Vogue,' even though I won't purchase the leather shoes and bags I see there, and being reminded that the fur trade even exists breaks my heart.”

“What I have to work with is the life that's ahead of me right this minute.”

“I know that as a vegan, I'm in a minority. People love their meat. It's up there with sugar and TV and maybe even coffee on the list of inalienable American rights.”

“In terms of days and moments lived, you’ll never again be as young as you are right now, so spend this day, the youth of your future, in a way that deflects regret. Invest in yourself. Have some fun. Do something important. Love somebody extra. In one sense, you’re just a kid, but a kid with enough years on her to know that every day is priceless. (418)”

“I suppose I am one: an activist - for animals and a vegan lifestyle. I hear that word, however, and look around to see if someone is indeed referring to me.”