Quotes from Libba Bray

Duff's little moans traveled up her spine, made her head buzz. And another thought grabbed hold: She was doing this. She had the power to do this. THat she could be both completely vulnerable and totally in control was mind-blowing.

Just because you loved somebody with your entire soul didn't mean they wouldn't break your heart. And just because somebody loved you didn't mean they'd be able to stop themselves from hurting you to get what they wanted

Theta sat next to Memphis and watched Mr. and Mrs. Chan laughing about some private joke. They were a mixed couple, and they were happy. No one seemed to be bothering them. But they were also here in the few blocks of Chinatown. What happened when they crossed Canal Street into the rest of the city? What happened when they went out into the rest of the country?

Choices. That's what made a man. Wasn't it?

There's no such thing as hideously ordinary. If something is hideous, it's automatically extraordinary. In a hideous way.

You see, Mr. Phillips, the truth of it is, I am so very American." She slapped the pen down on the onerous paper and slid them both toward her boss. "And that is precisely why I can't—no, why I refuse to sign this.

The citizens rise and wash, shave and brush. They don stockings and dresses, pants, shirts, and suspenders. They button up their need. Affix their aspirations. Tuck histories neatly inside drawers, creating themselves as they go, a rhapsody of reinvention.

I saw things in that war that a man shouldn't ever have see. Things that make you forget we're human and not just a bunch of beasts crawling out of the sludge somewhere. And the damnedest part of it all is, I couldn't for the life of me remember what we were fighting for in the first place.

All children are demons, Evie said, breathing heavily. This is precisely why I always refuse to babysit.

Gideon isn't for sale mister. Ah, yes. Like the Louisana Purchase, or Manhattan. I see. Should I have come with a purse full of beads and a wagon of diseased blankets? ... Can't you smell the history in the air? No doubt their grandfathers rushed across these prairies in their wagons, knocking down the natives, smashing in their brains in their zeal to stake for their claim. That pioneer spirit. My, what a land! I have learned so much from you

Fashionable debutantes in pastel chiffon party dresses wilt into leather club chairs like frosted petits fours melting under the July sun.

Where were you? A meeting at the Creepy Crawly. Anything I should know? David asked. The world is ending and evil is loose in the world? Sounds like Friday night.

What if I choose the dream instead?

Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin?

There is no greater power on this earth than story....

The only thing I'm trying to steal is your heart, doll." Sam smirked. "You're not that talented a thief, Sam Lloyd.

You two must be very happy." "Over the moon. Who'd've thought a regular schmoe like me could land a gem like Baby Doll here," Sam said.

You're perfect just the way you are...is what your guidance counselor says. And she's an alcoholic.

it stung, too, knowing that it was easier for his father to erase his only son's existence than it was for him to tolerate the disappointment of who his son really was.

See, that's your generation all over-you muck up everything and then expect us to fix your messes.

I am beginning to understand why those ancient women had to hide in caves. Why our parents and teachers and suitors want us to behave properly and predictably. It's not that they want to protect us; it's that they fear us.

Sam! - Sam said hugging himself. - You're welcome. Don't mention it.

Sometimes, I wish we were girls again, safe. Mabel snorted in contempt. When has it ever been safe to be a girl?

You know who's getting hurt? Workers. Poor people. Immigrants. Every day. It's a rigged game, Evie. The people at the top say they believe in the people at the bottom until those people try to climb up. And then the people at the top step on the hands of the climbing people they claim to believe in and cast them down the ladder.