Quotes from Life As We Knew It

“I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I never really thought about how when I look at the moon, it's the same moon as Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and Cleopatra looked at.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“We may not have a future, but you can't deny we have a past.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Maybe I'm wrong," Mom said. "Maybe the world really is coming to an end."
"Should I try Fox News?" I asked.
Mom shuddered. "We're not that desperate," she said.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies."
"We're all going to want cookies if the world comes to an end," Mrs. Nesbitt agreed. "And chips and pretzels. If the world is coming to an end, why should I care about my blood pressure?"
"Okay, we'll die fat," Mom said.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“The only way you can be the best at something is to be the best you can be.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Here's the funny thing about the world coming to an end. Once it gets going, it doesn't seem to stop.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I have no privacy. But I feel so alone.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I hate the moon. I hate tides and earthquakes and volcanoes. I hate a world where things that have absolutely nothing to do with me can destroy my life and the lives of people I love.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I feel myself shriveling along with my world, getting smaller and harder. I'm turning into a rock, and in some ways that's good, because rocks last forever.
But if this is how I'm going to last forever, then I don't want to.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Mom, is the world coming to an end?" Jonny asked, picking up the plate of cookies and ramming one into his mouth.
"No, it isn'T," Mom said, folding her lawn chair and carrying it to the front of the house. "And yes, you do have to go to school tomorrow.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“It wouldn't be New Year's without a resolution. I've resolved to take a moment every day for the rest of my life to appreciate what I have.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“They say asteroids hit the moon pretty often, which is how the moon gets its crater, but this one is going to be the biggest asteroid ever to hit it and on a clear night you should be able to see the impact when it happens, maybe even with the naked eye but certainly with binoculars. They made it sound pretty dramatic, but I still don't think it's worth three homework assignments.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“About 10 minutes ago, we all woke up because of this strange roaring sound. We all raced toward the sound, which turned out to be the washing machine going back on.
Who knew the rinse cycle could be so scary?”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“What's the point of God making us human if He doesn't want us to act like we're human?'
'To see if we can rise above our natures,'Megan said.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I wonder if I cry whether my tears would be gray.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, "Hey, it's a black-on."
This is what passes for humor around here.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Matt looked up kids from his high school class. Only three were listed as dead, but a bunch were listed as missing/presumed dead.
As a test, he looked us up, but none of our names were on any of the lists.
And that's how we know we're alive this Memorial Day.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Great, the worlds coming to an end and we're fixing it with Band-Aids”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“Lisa's baby was due about now. I've decided she had it and it was a girl. I've named her Rachel.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“...when I came back, I found Mom sobbing at the kitchen table...Then I asked her what had happened.
'Nothing,'she said. 'I was thinking about that man...I started thinking about...if he and his wife and their other child are okay, and I don't know. It just got to me.'
'I know,' I said, because I did know. Sometimes it's safer to cry about people you don't know than to think about people you really love.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“But today when I am 17 and warm and well fed, I'm keeping this journal for myself so I can always remember life as we knew it, life as we know it, for a time when I am no longer in the sunroom.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I can't decide which is worse, no electricity or unreliable electricity.
I wonder if I'll ever have to decide which is worse, life as we're living or no life at all.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“The electricity came on for the second time today wile we were eating.
This may be a fool's paradise, but it's a paradise nonetheless.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“The Christmas after Mom & Dad split up, they both went crazy buying us presents. Matt, Jonny, and I were showered with gifts at home and at Dads apartment. I thought that was great. I was all in favor of my love being paid for with presents.

This year all I got was a diary and a secondhand watch.

Okay, I know this is corny, but this really is what Christmas is all about.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“I'm the one not caring. I'm the one pretending the Earth isn't shattering all around me because I don't want it to be. I don't want to know there was an earthquake in Missouri. I don't want to know the Midwest can die, also, that what's going on isn't just tides and tsunamis. I don't want to have any more to be afraid of.

I didn't start this diary for it to be a record of death.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

“People see what they want to see”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from Life As We Knew It

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Popular quotes

“Next time I come here," he said to himself, "I must either bring sweets with me to make them like me or a stick to hit them with.”
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― Arundhati Roy, quote from The God of Small Things

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“When He [God] talks of their losing their selves, He means only abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.”
― C.S. Lewis, quote from The Screwtape Letters

“Trains are great dirty smoky things," said Will. "You won't like it."
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"I've never swum naked in the Thames before, but I know I wouldn't like it."
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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.