1,008 Quotes by Jonathan Safran Foer

And nothing inspires as much shame as being a parent. Children confront us with our paradoxes and hypocrisies, and we are exposed. You need to find an answer for every why – Why do we do this? Why don’t we do that? – and often there isn’t a good one. So you say, simply, because. Or you tell a story that you know isn’t true. And whether or not your face reddens, you blush. The shame of parenthood – which is a good shame – is that we want our children to be more whole than we are, to have satisfactory answers.

There is no greater gift than time.

Thanksgiving is the meal we aspire for other meals to resemble.

I'm so afraid of losing something I love, that I refuse to love anything.

Whether we're talking about fish species, pigs, or some other eaten animal, is such suffering the most important thing in the world? Obviously not. But that's not the question. Is it more important than sushi, bacon, or chicken nuggets? That's the question.

Maybe that's what a person's personality is: the difference between the inside and the outside.

I missed you even when I was with you. That's been my problem. I miss what I already have, and I surround myself with things that are missing.

It's not the feeling of completeness I need, but the feeling of not being empty.

Because sometimes people who seem good end up being not as good as you might have hoped.