“I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”

Noah claims that he is not a unique person and that he possesses no uncommon qualities or gifts. But this is disproven throughout the novel by the way people react to him. Allie knows he is special, and the nurse Evelyn tells him that she has never seen someone so dedicated to a loved one. Even his restoration work on his house wins an award. Though Noah believes himself to be an average man, others are able to see the deep devotion he feels toward what he is passionate about.

“The path I’ve chosen has always been the right one, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

By the end of the novel, it has been revealed that Noah has been battling cancer, he has lost a child, and his wife has Alzheimer’s disease. But he seems free of regret and bitterness. He knows he always made the right choice, while remaining aware that this did not guarantee him or entitle him to a specific outcome.

“‘I knew you was tryin’ to forget. I just didn’t know what.’”

When Noah tells Gus about Allie, Gus laughs. He realizes why Noah works so hard and why he is always moving, or kayaking, or canoeing, or reading. Noah is trying to keep Allie out of his mind. He does not want to forget her, which is obvious given that he keeps her painting over his mantel.