Quotes from Sarah Dessen

Outside, the ocean was crashing, waves hitting sand, then pulling back to sea. I thought of everything being washed away, again and again. We make such messes in this life, both accidentally and on purpose. But wiping the surface clean doesn't really make anything neater. It just masks what is below. It's only when you really dig down deep, go underground, that you can see who you really are.

You, have this whole tall, dark stranger thing going on. Not to mention the tortured artist bit. And you, have that whole blonde cool and collected perfect smart thing going on. You're the boy all the girls want to rebel with. You, are the unattainable girl in homeroom who never gives a guy the time of day.

Right now, though, I wanted not to think forward or backward, but only to lose myself in the words.

But sometimes you lose. Nothing you can do but admit it. -Eli

If something doesn't work exactly right, or maybe needs some special treatment, you don't just throw it away. Everything can't be fully operational all the time. Sometimes, we need to have the patience to give something the little nudge it needs.

The worst thing you can do if you miss or need someone is let them know it.

Hate Spinnerbait!

Are those the only options? Nothing or forever?

It's still a memory worth having, even if it's not exactly what you imagined.

He was the closest thing I'd ever had to something, or someone, that mattered. But in the end, close didn't count. You were either in, or you weren't.

Accepting all the good and bad about someone. It's a great thing to aspire to. The hard part is actually doing it.

It's so, so stupid what we do to ourselves because we're afraid. It's so stupid.

The bottom line is, what defines you isn't how many times you crash, but the number of times you get back on the bike. As long as it's one more. you're all good.

After everything that happened, how could I miss him? But I did, I did.

And that was it. All this buildup to a great leap, and I didn't fall or fly. Instead I found myself back on the edge of the cliff, blinking, wondering if I'd ever jumped at all. It's not supposed to be like this.

Remy: Did you really believe, that first day, that we were meant to be together? Dexter: You're here, aren't you?

No one could tell you: you just had to go through it on your own. If you were lucky, you came out on the other side and understood. If you didn't, you kept getting thrust back, retracing those steps, until you finally got it right.

And always remember how much your crazy sister loves you.

Who says there has to be a point? He asked. Or a reason. Maybe it's just something you have to do.

I can say I made a lot of mistakes, but I don't regret things. Because at least I didn't spend a life standing outside, wondering what living would be like.

Never would forever, with all its meanings, be so clear and distinct as in the true, guaranteed end of the world.

I knew that in the silence that followed, that anything could happen here. It might be too late again. I might have missed my chance. But I would at least know I tried, that I took my heart and extended my hand, whatever the outcome.

I'd been convinced I was on the outside, but really, I'd always been within arm's reach. All I had to do was ask, and I, too, would be easily brought back, surrounded and immersed, finding myself safe, somewhere in between.

It's so easy to get caught up in what people expect of you. Sometimes, you can just lose yourself.