Quotes from Breathing Underwater

“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

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Popular quotes

“It’s your duty as my best friend to be outraged with me.”
“I’m outraged!” I snarled. “That bastard!”
“Thank you,” Andrea said.”
― Ilona Andrews, quote from Magic Slays

“each day after class lets out,each morning before it begins, i sit at the school piano and make my hands work. in spite of the pain, in spite of the stiffness and scars. i make my hands play piano.i have practiced my best piece over and over till my arms throb.”
― Karen Hesse, quote from Out of the Dust

“Have you considered what you might do to help? You have recovered, so you cannot get the fever again. You are young and strong. We have a real need for you.”
“How can I help anyone? I’m just a girl.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to pinch myself. The first time anyone treats me like a woman and I respond like an infant.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, quote from Fever 1793

“He studied the boulders, then pushed against one until it began to move.
When she gasped, he stopped. “Seems I could free you, after all.”
She gave him a tentative touch on his chest. “What would it take to get you to finish moving those?”
“What are you offering?” he asked, his voice rougher.
“Money? Would you take money to push these free?”
“I’ve plenty of my own. More than enough for both of us.”
She scowled at that. “What do you want, then?”
“I want”—he ran his hand over his face—“to . . . touch you. Not here, but tonight . . .”
“Not going to happen.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and his gaze landed on her damp cleavage. As he had that night on the coast, he looked like he was considering throwing her over his shoulder and tracing her back to his bed. “I do so wish my breasts would stop staring at your eyes.”
His head jerked up, and he had to clear his throat to rasp, “Kiss me. Kiss me, and I’ll free you.”
“The last time that happened you bit me, and you could do it again.” Kissing Sebastian always seemed to lead to more. Last time, it had led to his taking her blood.
And possibly her memories.
“I never bit you. I grazed your skin. Accidently.”
“Then tell me you haven’t contemplated doing it again.”
“I” –he exhaled heavily—“cannot. The pleasure was too intense to ignore.”
― Kresley Cole, quote from No Rest for the Wicked

“His swearing is methodical, continuous, and apparently entirely senseless.”
― Mikhail Bulgakov, quote from Heart of a Dog

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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.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.