None of them ever call me David, no matter how often I invite them to. Rather, I'm Monsieur Sedaris, not my father but the smaller, Continental model. Monsieur Sedaris with the four lower implants. Monsieur Sedaris ... sweating so fiercely he leaves the office two kilos lighter. That's me, pointing to the bathroom and asking the receptionist if I may use the sandbox, me traipsing down the stairs in a fresh set of clothes, my smile bittersweet and drearied with blood, counting the days until I can come back and return myself to this curious, socialized care."
-- The Author (Essay 1 - Dentists without Borders)

Importance: In this quote from the close of the collection's introductory essay, the author sums up the reasons why the French health (dental) care system is something he reacts positively to and/or compares positively to the American system.

Never would they have blindly defended me or even asked for my side of the story...
-- The Author (Essay 2 - Attaboy)