Home > Author > Susin Nielsen
1 " Okay, even if we disagree on that point, we still need to keep living our lives, don't we?... "
― Susin Nielsen , Optimists Die First
2 " ...studies show that in general, optimists die ten years earlier than pessimists.""I find that hard to believe""Of course you do, you're an optimist. You have a misguided belief that things will go your way. You don't see the dangers till it's too late. Pessimists are more realistic. "That seems like a sad way to govern your life.""It's a safe way to govern your life. "
3 " I don't think it's gross. I think it's kind of beautiful. Everything, and everyone, is interconnected. "
― Susin Nielsen , We Are All Made of Molecules
4 " They did not have problems. They had been perfectly, utterly happy.Hadn't they? "
― Susin Nielsen , Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom
5 " Either they were stupid, or they were optimists. Most likely both. "I will outlive you all," I muttered under my breath. "
6 " Different people are smart in different ways. "
7 " Part of me wanted to fling myself on the bed and hold him. Part of me wanted to fling myself on the bed and pummel him. "
8 " I get why Winnie believes in God. I get why Dylan believes in Bernard. I get why I wanted to believe in Mel. It can give a person comfort, feeling that something mysterious and otherworldly is looking out for you. But now I'm learning to have faith in something new ... Other people... And I am choosing to believe. "
― Susin Nielsen , No Fixed Address
9 " Because being gifted can also mean that you excel in some areas while you stink in others. "
10 " Molecules are made of atoms. When someone dies, their molecules break down into smaller molecules as well as individual atoms. So, say a carbon atom is part of a molecule in a person's leg. When that person dies, that atom could become part of a molecule in something else, like a blooming flower, or even another human being. Or an oxygen atom in your sandwich could end up in a molecule as part of your brain. "
11 " Everything, and everyone, is interconnected. "
12 " She told my parents I was gifted. My parents shared what she’d said, and I got very excited for a moment because I honestly thought being gifted involved getting gifts. "
13 " I think the most important lesson I’ve learned about being a writer is that a real writer keeps writing. We keep moving forward. We don’t sit around waiting for “the muse.” It’s a job like any other, trying to get the entire story on the page. It’s about getting our bums in the seat, every day. "
― Susin Nielsen
14 " The word pass has become all the rage, hasn’t it? It’s like people don’t want to think about death at all, so they won’t even say the word. "
15 " How could I explain to someone who hasn’t been a teenager for centuries that best friends are the ones who are most likely to use your darkest secrets against you one day, and stab you right in the back? "
16 " I don’t think it’s weird to want to stay connected to my mom in any way I can. A lot of her molecules were floating around our old house, so I always felt connected to her there. But then we moved here, and I had to use a specific object to breathe in her molecules "
17 " For a long time he was Sad Dad twenty-four-seven, and I was Sad Stewart twenty-four-seven, and together we were Sad Squared, and it was just a big black hole of sadness. "
18 " We’re bringing a lot of stuff with us, but we can’t bring the mosaic stepping-stones my mom made that line the path in the backyard, or the flowers she planted, or her molecules, which I know still float through the air, because why else can I feel her presence all the time? It is what less scientifically minded people would call a “vibe,” and our house, even this long after her death, is still full to bursting with Mom’s vibe. "
19 " Did you ever really love us? Or was that a lie, too? "
20 " But it is an interesting biological conundrum when one organ – in this case, my brain – tells me one thing, and another organ – in this case, my heart – tells me another. "
