I have learned this for certain: if discontent is your disease, travel is medicine. It resensitizes. It opens you up to see outside the patterns you follow. Because new places require new learning.
-- Jedidiah Jenkins (narration) (Prologue)

Importance: These lines of narration are the opening lines of the book. These statements articulate Jenkins' basic philosophy about travel, specifically that traveling is an excellent way to renew one's sense of wonder and exploration. Jenkins experienced this sense of novelty while on his bike trip, and this state of exploration allowed Jenkins to view his life and his beliefs in new ways.

I learned the difference between dreams and goals. Each of us has a mash-up of talents and experiences and potential that plants something in us, and becomes a dream…A dream is the myriad was we could be fulfilled in life using our talents to make beautiful things. But then there are goals/ Goals are...
-- Jedidiah Jenkins (narration) (chapter 4)