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1 " I was also built from delusional optimism and folly. "
― A.S. King , Please Ignore Vera Dietz
2 " You can't change people with love. It doesn't work that way. "
― A.S. King , Still Life with Tornado
3 " There is something magical about the world at night. Sitting at the dining room table, sipping a glass of iced tea, I can totally understand why Dad gets up so early. Minutes seem to last longer when the rest of the world is asleep. "
― A.S. King , Everybody Sees the Ants
4 " I see it as symbolic. The label no longer fits. His emotional parsimoniousness just got sucked away by the beautiful blue sky. I lean forward and reach my hand behind my back, then take my sign off, and I toss it out the window, too. I am no longer an ex-stripper's daughter, either. I have gone from invisible Vera Dietz to invincible Vera Dietz. "
5 " As I load my shirt into the washer for the night, I daydream about making a sign and hanging it around my neck. I could wear it to school tomorrow. It could read, I MISS CHARLIE KHAN. "
6 " Listen to me. They may control what you do, but no one can pee on your soul without your permission. "
7 " It also makes my father right again. How will I ever soar with the eagles if I'm surrounded by turkeys? "
8 " Today I am in control because I want to be. I have my fingers on the switch, but have lived a lifetime ignoring the control I have over my own world. Today is different. "
9 " The trick is remembering that change is as easy as you make it. The trick is remembering that you are the boss of you. "
10 " You are not your virginity. You are a human being. The state of your hymen has nothing to do with your worth. "
― A.S. King , Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
11 " All those people who are chained here thinking that their reputations matter and this little shit matters are so freaking shortsighted. Dude, what matters is that you're happy. What matters is your future. What matters is that we get out of here in one piece. What matters is finding the truth of our own lives, not caring about what other people think is the truth of us. "
― A.S. King , Ask the Passengers
12 " Not living your life is just like killing yourself, only it takes longer. "
13 " As I load my shirt into the washer for the night, I daydream about making a sign and hanging it around my neck. It could read, I MISS CHARLIE KHAN.As I drive home, I picture other signs- one for everyone who has a secret. Bill Coro's would say, I CAN'T READ, BUT I CAN THROW A FOOTBALL. Me. Shunk's would read, I WISH I COULD TOSS YOU ALL ON AN ISLAND BY YOURSELVES. Dad's would read, I HATE MYSELF FOR NO GOOD REASON. "
14 " As I drive home, I picture other signs- one for everyone who has a secret. Bill Corso's would say, I CAN'T READ, BUT I CAN THROW A FOOTBALL. Mr. Shunk's would read, I WISH I COULD TOSS YOU ALL ON AN ISLAND BY YOURSELVES. Dad's would read, I HATE MYSELF FOR NO GOOD REASON.My Idea grows. "
15 " Then I think of Charlie and our first New Year’s apart, and how I miss him. I miss him so much, but it’s confusing, because I missed him long before he was dead, and that’s the bitch of it all. I missed him long before he was dead. "
16 " She launched the airplane and it caught a current and circled down toward the town, like a promise of something good. "
17 " The boys on the front had magazines with pinups, and they talked about how one day they would score women like that, but they’re kids. They don’t know what love is. Here they learn what hate is, and I am so sad that they might never know love because hate came first. Maybe they will miss out on having a woman like you, and I feel sorry for them. "
18 " You know that saying about how you don’t know what you have until it’s gone? I already did know what I had, and now that she’s gone, I know even more. "
19 " Suicide isn't something people do to hurt other people. It's something people do to release themselves from pain. "
20 " I picked up my camera and held it at arm's length and took a picture of myself not caring. I called it: Glory Doesn't Care. "
