Quotes from Gus

“There's something epic that happens every day if you look hard enough for it.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“You only get one chance at this circus called life. Don’t sit in the crowd watchin’ it happen. You jump right in and be the ringleader. That’s where you find your fire.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“How do you go back to doing what you did before, when half of you is gone forever?”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Some people wear their scars on the outside. Others wear them on the inside. Same difference. Your character, your heart, your essence, that’s what’s important, because that’s the real you. All the rest, our looks, the material stuff? It's just meaningless bullshit.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Epic is a state of mind.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I think people find each other when they’re ready for them. When they need each other the most. And it’s in that time of need that the strongest relationships are formed.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I’m at the tipping point of a transformation that began months ago, an intentional decision put in motion. And it feels so fucking good. I’ve come to the full realization that my happiness, my life, falls squarely on my shoulders. No one’s gonna do it for it me. I’m the one who makes it or breaks it.  It’s a choice.  A choice that demands action in exchange for reward. Idleness and complacency lead to mediocrity. Sometimes action is really fucking hard fought, but that’s when the payoff’s the highest.  That’s when great things happen.  Not good things … but epic things. And I’ve fallen in love with epic.  It’s the only way to live.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Life ain’t about coasting. It’s about pushin’ the damn gas pedal all the way to the floor. Same goes for fun and love, no coasting. Pedal to the floor.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Bright Side wasn’t only my best friend; she was like my other half ... the other half of my brain, the other half of my conscience, the other half of my sense of humor, the other half of my creativity, the other half of my heart.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Leave it to Bright Side to haunt me from the grave—and instead of it being creepy, it’s sunshine and rainbows and fucking unicorns.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“It was a gift. You were a gift. A gift that made my life worthwhile. A gift that made life fun. A gift that filled me with music. A gift that filled me with love. A gift that inspired me to live on the bright side.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“That’s the secret. You find what you love and you go for it. Life ain’t about coasting. It’s about pushin’ the damn gas pedal all the way to the floor. Same goes for fun and love, no coasting. Pedal to the floor.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I need to know why I’m supposed to go through the rest of my life without being able to talk to her. Hug her. Hear her laugh. Watch the sunset with her. Watch her play her violin. Kiss her forehead. Tell her I love her. Hear her say it back. Why? Why?!”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Fuck it. I am who I am. Nobody's perfect.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“When someone initiates kindness anonymously, you know it comes from the most pure, kind-hearted part of them because they’ll probably never be singled out and thanked. It speaks to his character.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Outside on the sidewalk, I stop in my tracks. The sun is setting. It’s like fire in the sky.  Bright.  Brilliant.  Orange. The four guys stand with me in awed silence. They know how much Bright Side loved to watch the sunset.  My smile grows as the sun makes its final descent and plunges us into darkness. Bright Side was definitely in charge tonight.  “That’s my girl.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Bendy straws are the shit, dude.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“friends are the family you choose.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I don’t know how to be Gus without her, dude. I’m fucking lost as shit.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I’m at the point where I just … don’t. I know that doesn’t make any fucking sense, but it’s how I feel. I don’t.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“There’s something epic that happens every day if you look hard enough for it.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“And when his big arms wrap around me, I realize in this moment that I’ve never really been hugged. This is a hug. This is what human contact is supposed to feel like. It’s supposed to feel … human. Distilled until it’s nothing but one human being transferring support to another human being in the form of touch that’s unselfish and pure in intention.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“I knew I wasn’t alone. I haven’t written like that since Bright Side was around. I always feel her in my heart these days, because that’s where she lives. I walk around with her inside me every day. And it doesn’t hurt anymore. But the presence I felt tonight wasn’t internal. It was physical. Tangible. Like someone was in the room with me, feeding me. Little did I know, she was just on the other side of the door.  Filling my soul.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Tears and Smiles <3 Mrs. Randolph
Quite the character!!!

"Here’s the thing about life, boy. We meet a lot of people along this journey. Some of them are sonsabitches and some are special. When you find the special ones you don’t take a moment for granted, because you never know when your time with them is gonna be up. I got over fifty years with my Fritz. Fifty wonderful years. When he died, I was lost for a few months. I lost my fire. But then I realized that life’s short and I had a choice to make. I could keep bein’ miserable, or I could go find joy and live again.” She’s squeezing even harder now. “If you only listen to one thing this crazy old lady tells you, I hope it’s this: ain’t nobody gonna stoke your fire but you, boy.” She looks at me hard with her grey, cloudy eyes. “You go make life happen.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“nobody is perfect. Some people wear their scars on the outside. Others wear them on the inside. Same difference. Your character, your heart, your essence, that’s what’s important, because that’s the real you. All the rest, our looks, the material stuff? It's just meaningless bullshit.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Silence isn’t the enemy. It can bring comfort and clarity and validation. It’s a reminder of time for what it is … presence.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Your character, your heart, your essence, that’s what’s important, because that’s the real you. All the rest, our looks, the material stuff? It's just meaningless bullshit.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Bright Side wasn’t only my best friend; she was like my other half ... the other half of my brain, the other half of my conscience, the other half of my sense of humor, the other half of my creativity, the other half of my heart. How do you go back to doing what you did before, when half of you is gone forever?”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Happy birthday, Bright Side. I hope you’re in charge of showtime tonight. I’m expecting nothing short of fucking incredible on behalf of your big day, just so you know. No pressure, but you’d better step up and do epic.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

“Kate Sedgwick. That name holds so much power over me. The best kind of power: inspiring, encouraging, and respectable. It’s a name that I’ve always associated with badass bravery. It’s a name that always meant anything was possible. It’s a name that was love and goodness and kindness.”
― Kim Holden, quote from Gus

About the author

Popular quotes

“I probably just want to leave a trace of myself behind in this world.”
― Makoto Shinkai, quote from 5 Centimeters per Second

“Nature is infinitely rich and diverse in her ways. She can be seen to break her most unchanging laws. She has made self-interest the motive of all human action, but in the great host of men she produces ones who are strangely constituted, in whom selfishness is scarcely perceptible because they do not place their affections in themselves. Some are passionate about the sciences, others about the public good. They are as attached to the discoveries of others as if they themselves had made them, or to the institutions of public welfare and the state as if they derived benefit from them. This habit of not thinking of themselves influences the whole course of their lives. They don't know how to use other men for their profit. Fortune offers them opportunities which they do not think of taking up.
In nearly all men the self is almost never inactive. You will detect their self-interest in nearly all the advice they give you, in the services they do for you, in the contacts they make, in the friendships they form. They are deeply attached to the things which affect their interests however remotely, and are indifferent to all others. When they encounter a man who is indifferent to personal interest they cannot understand him. They suspect him of hidden motives, of affectation, or of insanity. They cast him from their bosom, revile him.”
― Jan Potocki, quote from The Manuscript Found in Saragossa

“I’ll hold up my end, if you’ll hold up yours,” Zane said. “Don’t”
― Abigail Roux, quote from Divide & Conquer

“...tell me the word that will win you, and I will speak it. I will speak the stars of heaven into a crown for your head; I will speak the flowers of the field into a cloak; I will speak the racing stream into a melody for your ears and the voices of a thousand larks to sing it; I will speak the softness of night for your bed and the warmth of summer for your coverlet; I will speak the brightness of flame to light your way and the luster of gold to shine in your smile; I will speak until the hardness in you melts away and your heart is free...”
― Stephen R. Lawhead, quote from Taliesin

“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them... Once you've made the commitment to free yourself of the scared person inside, you will notice that there is a clear decision point at which your growth takes place.”
― Michael A. Singer, quote from The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

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.