Quotes from Breathing Underwater

Alex Flinn ·  263 pages

Rating: (7.2K votes)


“Anyone else feel like that? Like your life's a big act. Like you're trying to be a man when you're just a scared kid, trying to keep under control when you really want to scream, cry, maybe hit someone. Ever feel like you're breathing underwater, and you have to stop because you're gulping in too much fluid?”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“It's easier to fake it. When you fake it for sixteen years, it becomes part of you, something you don't think about.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“What happened December 12?” Polyester asks.

I look at the wall, my attention suddenly riveted by a palmetto bug, feelers writhing. I could kill it if I wanted.

He hit me.”

The bug slides to the floor.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“Funny how you can know something and yet not believe it's possible.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“I remember, now, how to cry.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater



“I can't go on like this”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“We accept without question that we–human beings– are the center of the universe. Talk about hubris. But when a woman says, 'I love you', that won't go through our skulls.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“You can't respect yourself if you're letting someone beat you up–inside or out.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“It's about doing the right thing even if you don't want to do it. About taking responsibility for your actions...it's about letting go when you really, really want to hold on so bad.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“Somewhere down the road...I hope you find [that girls] don't all have the same thing between their ears. The good ones don't put up with macho mind games.”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater



“Control is part of faking it”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“And Caitlin smiled. I Wanted to put her smile in my pocket to look at over and over”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


“Having screwed around the last hour trying to decide whether to write in the style of Isaac Asimov (that version featured Caitlin as a Venusian chick with one eye and three breasts) or Dr. Seuss (“I am Nick/Nick is sick/Nick tells Debbie to…” well, you get the idea),”
― Alex Flinn, quote from Breathing Underwater


About the author

Alex Flinn
Born place: in Glen Cove, New York, The United States
Born date October 23, 2018
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Popular quotes

“You can find ways to be okay with dying, but you can’t fake your way through living.”
― John Corey Whaley, quote from Noggin


“Do you know why men name their cocks?"
"No, why?" she asked, trying to stifle her laughter.
"So most of the major decisions in their lives won’t be made by a total stranger.”
― Linda Howard, quote from After the Night


“The only problem with seeing people you know is that they know you.”
― Brent Runyon, quote from The Burn Journals


“О! Узнаю! Узнаю! Это опять они!
«Ангелы господни! Это вы опять?»
— Ну, конечно, мы, — и опять так ласково!..
«А знаете что, ангелы?» — спросил я, тоже тихо-тихо.
— Что? — ответили ангелы.
«Тяжело мне…»
— Да мы знаем, что тяжело, — пропели ангелы. — а ты походи, походи, легче будет. А через полчаса магазин откроется: водка там с девяти, правда, а красненького сразу дадут…
«Красненького?»
— Красненького, — нараспев повторили ангелы господни.
«Холодненького?»
— Холодненького, конечно…
О, как я стал взволнован!..
«Вы говорите: походи, походи, легче будет. Да ведь и ходить-то не хочется. Вы же сами знаете, каково в моем состоянии ходить!..»
Помолчали на это ангелы. А потом опять запели:
— А ты вот чего: ты зайди в ресторан вокзальный. Там вчера вечером херес был. Не могли же выпить за вечер весь херес!..
«Да, да, да. Я пойду. Я сейчас пойду, узнаю. Спасибо вам, ангелы…»
И они так тихо-тихо пропели:
— На здоровье, Веня…
А потом так ласково-ласково:
— Не стоит…
Какие они милые!.. Ну что ж… Идти так идти.(В. Ерофеев, "Москва-Петушки")”
― Venedikt Erofeev, quote from Moscow to the End of the Line


“Dashed if I didn’t receive a letter from him this morning! Yes, and what’s more, I had to pay sixpence for it, which I’d as lief not have done. It ain’t that I grudge sixpence, but what I mean is, why the deuce should I have to give sixpence for a thing I’d as soon not have?”
― Georgette Heyer, quote from Cotillion


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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

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