Quotes from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I keep wishing, reflexively, for a glimpse of the future, so I'll know what to do. But I don't kid myself. I have to feel my way forward blindly. I try not to be afraid. Even if you know what's coming, you're never prepared for how it feels.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Even if you know what's coming, you're never prepared for how it feels.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I had no cause to be happy. I felt sad with a good reason, and it wouldn't be right to mess with that feeling. I thought I ought to just stay sad for a while.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“If you'd only let me come by myself, none of this would have happened. Having you around makes everything worse.'
She buried her head under her pillow. 'Stop it! you're so cold! You're heartless, you little robot!' The pillow muffled her words, but they still stung.
'I feel things,' I said. 'I'm not a robot!' I stamped my foot and screamed. Then I burst into tears. I touched the wet little drops and held them toward her. 'See, I'm not a robot. This is proof.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“A toast to the birthday boy!' Myrna shouted. 'Welcome to the adult world, hon. It's lonely, it's miserable, and God help you. But there are bright spots, and nights like tonight are one of them.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“The whole world is pressing in on me, like a weight on my chest, slowly pushing me down and down. And there's nothing between me and this weight but my flimsy skin. It's not enough. It won't protect me. It doesn't keep anything out. The outside will keep pressing in until my ribs are crushed, and then my organs, my heart and liver and stomach....”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I wanted to like people. It worried me that I didn’t.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“But why? Why do you care about our class’s history?"
"I just do. Besides, I need something to put on my art-school applications besides ’Locks self in room and draws all day.’ Even art schools won’t take a psychopath.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Well, if you’re talking about love, why did you bring up cocaine?”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Jonah's breath came fast and shallow. I reached for his hand. He turned his face to me, his eyes wide with panic. Two frozen ponds. A boy screamed and pounded on the surface, trapped under the ice. Panicking. Trying to break through. But his screams faded, his fists flailed, and he slipped away into the dark. The boy was gone. Nothing left but the ice, clear and smooth enough to skate on.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I might have been made of metal once, but not anymore. Like Pinocchio, I'd turned into a real girl. So far it sucked. But there was nothing I could do about it.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“There is a separation between parents and children that shouldn't be breached when the children are young. The parents' adult follies are private. They're disturbing and hard to understand. But eventually the kids wise up, the follies start leaking out, and the parents are revealed in all their flawed humanity. Dad and I were about to cross that boundary for good.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Those antidepressants Dr. Huang gave her were some kind of miracle drug. I considered giving them a try, but I didn't think they'd work for me. I had no cause to be happy. I felt sad with good reason, and it wouldn't be right to mess with that feeling. I thought I ought to just stay sad for a while.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“The students adore your father,' a perfumed woman said to me. 'Aren't you lucky to live with such a charming man!'
'He's even more charming at home,' Mom said. 'Isn't he, Bea? He rides a unicycle through the house -'
'- even up and down the stairs,' I added.
'He juggles eggs as he makes breakfast every morning -'
'- which he serves to us in bed of course,' I said.
'- and pulls fragrant bouquets out of his ass,' Mom finished.
'He's just a joy.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I'll never forget Jonah's face. A light poured out of him and became the spirit of the room, like a genie released from a bottle after centuries of darkness.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I have a rotary phone from the sixties, it take forever to dial, which keeps me from making impulsive calls.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Those who love only half of him do not live him at all.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Before he sat down, my internal heat-seekers sensed what was coming my way: deep blue eyes that melted girls like Velveeta in a microwave. I tried to resist those microwave eyes, but sometimes there's no defense against them. I had a feeling I'd be seeing him weeping over my coffin later that night. ”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“The whole summer stretched out before us, long, hot, endless.
September flashed like a tiny red warning light in the distance, but if I squinted, I could ignore it. I decided to squint for a while.
'It's going to be wonderful,' I said.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I reached for the phone and dialed his number. I listened to it ring. It rang on and on. I imagined the phone crying out in his empty room.
I didn't count the rings, but it felt like hundreds. Could Mr. Tate hear them echoing through his house? Was I torturing him? Making him scream in frustration, pressing his hands to his ears to block out the noise?
If he wanted to make the ringing stop, all he had to do was pick up.
Maybe he had unplugged Jonah's phone. Maybe he couldn't hear the ringing at all.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I almost can't believe you won first place, because the painting deserves it so much, and people who deserve to win hardly ever do.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“You can love somebody without it being like that. You keep them a stranger, a stranger who's a friend.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I just wanted to say something about him, to shoot his spirit out over the airwaves and see what it will do. Maybe he'll come to one of you and give you something you need. Help you get rid of the blues, or keep the sun from catching you crying. A lot of you believe in ghosts. I've heard you say so.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“He's more of a Death person than a Dinner Roll person...”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I think ghostliness is a good quality.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“I don't care, I don't care, I don't care what they think.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“he's stuck with them, so he makes the best of a bad situation. he's a hero because he makes something good out of a life he doesn't want.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

“Sounds pretty bad. Are you sure about this?"
"Oh, I'm sure."
"Well, I don't know what we can do to prepare, except say our prayers."
"Good luck with that, Herb. God died in 1945.”
― Natalie Standiford, quote from How to Say Goodbye in Robot

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