185 Quotes by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A tightening in her chest almost stopped her. It was a foreign feeling, to be so afraid of words addressed to her own son. And, in another very real way, familiar. She had stood at this threshold many times, and each time she had let that clench of fear stop her.

Her body felt like a giant bag of lack. Lack of motivation. Lack of strength. Lack of rigidity. Lack of caring.

But we waste our precious time. Why? Why do we live like we’re not going to die?

What’s weird is when you mean a lot more to somebody else than they ever meant to you. I mean, a whole lot more. Like life on two whole different planets.

You can’t tell someone to pursue their dream only if it’s a good match for your own. You can’t dictate what dream he should pursue.

Do you know what forever love is? Pearl taught me. It’s when you love somebody so much that no matter what happens that’ll never change. Like even if you’re gone. It’s still the same. Even if you die. You die, but not the love. Not forever love. Know what I mean?

It’s a choice between getting the crap beaten out of you for being exactly what you are, or avoiding the beating by selling out and pretending you’re not, which is like pretending there’s something wrong with what you are. I’m not sure which is worse.

But sometimes things happen that shouldn’t happen. And sometimes there’s not a damn thing we can do to stop them. But it’s not definite yet. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Some things, like innocence, only go one way.