Quotes from Rebecca Stead

I think things hit me very hard, and I wish I had allowed things to roll off my back a little bit more.

I think we must all feel that there are people out there who know things about our young selves, you know, our early, early lives, that no one else can ever know.

I am basically in awe of every family's ability to make decisions for their kids.

I felt vulnerable and very much between friends. I remember walking down the hallway and thinking I had no way of knowing what was coming, literally. This wasn't because I had some horrific bullying story, but because of a steady drip of negativity.

Every published writer suffers through that first draft because most of the time, that's a disappointment.

During the week,I'm really focused on writing and output. Sunday is a day when I really try not to write at all.

On Sunday, I think the most important thing for me is to just turn my brain off. The idea of not trying is the key, because that's where you're relaxed enough to let your brain make new connections.

I would never look a gift horse in the mouth. I've had some lovely homemade earrings and, recently, a wall hanging made in the style of Georges Seurat.

I'm an old man, and she's gone now. So don't worry, okay?

Anyone who's familiar with my writing schedule knows that there is always plenty of time between books for me!

I've met seven homeschooling families through many, many extracurricular activities such as fencing. I don't have a point of view of homeschooling. For some families, homeschooling works.

I like to write about questions that interest me, not the conclusions I've come to.

I asked myself what it was that I wanted from writing and where my connection with books began, and the answer to that question was definitely in childhood, because that's where my connection with reading began.

I don't know. I just feel stuck, like I'm afraid to take any steps, in case they're the wrong ones.

Pajamas are good for the soul.

Trying to forget really doesn't work. In fact, it's pretty much the same as remembering.

Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean.

Who's the real you? The person who did something awful, or the one who's horrified by the awful thing you did? Is one part of you allowed to forgive the other?

Life is a million different dots making one gigantic picture. And maybe the big picture is nice, maybe it's amazing, but if you're standing with your face pressed up against a bunch of black dots, it's really hard to tell.

If I'm afraid of someone on the street, I'll turn to him (it's always a boy) and say, "Excuse me, do you happen to know what time it is?" This is my way of saying to the person, "I see you as a friend, and there is no need to hurt me or take my stuff. Also, I don't even have a watch and I am probably not worth mugging." So far, it's worked like gangbusters... And I've discovered that most people I'm afraid of are actually very friendly.

Didn't you ever have a father yourself? You don't want him for a reason. You want him because he's your father.' So I figured it's because I never had a father that I don't want one now. A person can't miss something she never had.

Common sense is just a name for the way we're used to thinking.

Boredom is what happens to people who have no control over their minds.

I'm an old man, and she's gone now. So don't worry, okay?