72 Quotes by Anne Ursu

Something rose in Oscar's chest, like a flower blossoming all at once. It grew until it filled him and threatened to spill over everywhere. The words [he] spoke touched a longing so deep Oscar hadn't even known it was there.

It was a beautiful lie that they had all been telling themselves—that you could have magic without monsters.

This was not [him]. It was a thing, with all the [him]-ness gone from it. Death takes the person and leaves his shell behind, like a hollowed-out tree.

Teachers loved to say people had potential; that's what teachers did to keep themselves from getting canned. What were they supposed to say-I'm sorry, your kid has no promise whatsoever? She's utterly mediocre in every way?

I’m not really made for people.” Callie exhaled. “You’re not made at all, Oscar. Don’t you see? After everything that’s happened this week? You get to do the making.

He could still escape—the fear was in front of him, and all he had to do was wrench free and run in the other direction. But he kept walking forward, straight into its embrace.

He lifted his hand to knock, but then he stopped. He could go neither forward nor back, so he simply stayed that way—hand frozen in the air.

That's what happens on journeys, the things you find are not necessarily what you had gone looking for.

No one else needed to do this. No one else needed lessons on how to be a person.