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41 " You have to do the cutting yourself, to let out the pain inside. Getting someone else to slice you up is cheating. "
― Lauren Beukes , The Shining Girls
42 " The problem with snapshots is that they replace actual memories. You lock down the moment and it becomes all there is of it. "
43 " Shakespeare would have it wrong these days. It's not the world that's the stage - it's social media, where you're trying to put on a show. The rest of your life is rehearsals, prepping in the wings to be fabulous online. "
― Lauren Beukes , Broken Monsters
44 " Everyone lives three versions of themselves; a public life, a private life and a secret life. "
45 " But she was the kind of girl you couldn't keep down. Unless you cut her up and caved in her skull. "
46 " I really wanted to believe that there were these magic celestial bodies that would direct my life, tell me what to do, and it turns out it's not stars, it's some bits of screwy DNA. I'm just meat with faulty programming. "
― Lauren Beukes , Zoo City
47 " Can't reinvent the wheel. But you can put your own spin on it. "
48 " Being her friend was like going to a tropical island for a little fun in the sun, only to be kidnapped by terrorists. "
49 " I'm scared, Mom." ... "It's okay, honey. It's all right. That's the big secret, don't you know? Everyone is. All the time. "
50 " Grown-up relationships are complicated. We got what we needed from each other. Passion. A safety net. Some kind of solace. It's lonely out there. But it ran its course. It was lovely while it lasted. But everything is finite. Life. Love. All this. Sadness too. Although that's harder to let go of than happiness. - Rachel Mazrachi "
51 " In the forest, they did things to drive us mad. Muti. Drugs. Rape. Killing Games. (...) God is not in the forest. Maybe He is too busy looking after sports teams or worrying about teenagers having sex before marriage. I think they take up a lot of His time. "
52 " I yank open the cutlery drawer to be confronted with an anomaly worse than emails from dead people or a man with a gun sitting on my bed. It's a large carving knife with a viciously serrated edge and two broken teeth. It's tarnished with rust. It's not mine. And neither is the china figurine of a kitten with one paw playfully raised, also stained with rust. But it's not rust. It's not rust at all. Perversely, the thought that flashes through my brain is "I can haz murder weapon?" I laugh out loud, a sobbing hiccup. "
53 " Oh, but fine isn't everything!' Rachel exclaims and grabs her hands and pulls her into a stepping foxtrot over the paintings, twirling her round. 'Fine is the very definition of mediocrity. It's what's polite. It's what's socially acceptable. We need to live brighter and deeper than just fine, my darling! "
54 " We do this to ourselves. Society is a poisonous hamster wheel. "
55 " If you want to kiss me again, then shut the fuck up and stop bleeding to death "
56 " This is the way the world is now. Everything is public. You have to find other people who understand. "
57 " Affectionate violence. For when a hug just won't do. That's a Hallmark card for you. "
58 " People don’t want novelty – they want the reassurance of familiarity. No-one wants to be challenged, no-one wants to have their minds blown. There is an insatiable appetite for affirmation. "
59 " I think Canada probably has an embargo on dicks.” “That’s why they’re so nice. No dicks allowed. "
60 " Nothing is infinitely reducible. You can split an atom but you can't vaporize it. Stuff sticks around. It clings to you, even when it's broken. "