89 Quotes by Sarah Jio

We're each given one life, and it's our job to make it useful, beautiful, and fulfilling. There is no value in suffering through it, doing something we hate. There's no prize at the end for that kind of endurance. Just a spent life.

I walked to the bookcase and examined the storybooks inside. As a girl, I had dreamed of having stacks of books at my disposal--stories to get lost in, other worlds to live in when mine was so bleak.

Penny was so beautiful. She didn't need makeup or a fancy hairstyle; she had a natural sort of beauty. But it was her kindness that I remember most.

You must tune everything else out and create from your heart."I nod, dipping my brush in red acrylic, then white, before mixing the paints on the palette until they form a perfect pink.I paint a peony, and then another. I somehow recall a garden, far away from here, where there were (are?) peonies. I remember the way the blossoms are so heavy that they flounce over, and I reach for another brush and dip it into green to get the stems just right.

What is childhood without stories? And how will children fall in love with stories without bookstores? You can't get that from a computer.

I want to say that I think that the most important things in life are thankfulness, forgiveness, and love. Mama taught me to always be thankful. And when you say thank you it makes other people feel happy. And forgiveness, because, life is too short to be cross. It's also not fun. And, last but not least, love - because when you have love in your heart, nothing and no one can take it away from you.

Papa says that some people seem mean, but they're just sad inside.

Past their normal blooming season, the trees had shed many of their blossoms, but the ones that remained were vibrant and showy, like the finale of a fireworks show. Up close, the trees did not disappoint. I stared up in awe at a yellow blossom, touching its petals lightly and breathing in the balmy, lemony scent.

I've come to realize that you can fight a lot of things in life, but you can't help who you love. You can't change who your heart chooses. I'm afraid that very fact will be the greatest tragedy of my life.