“I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neurons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Every great character, Iz, be it on page or screen, is multidimensional. The good guys aren't all good, the bad guys aren't all bad, and any character wholly one or the other shouldn't exist at all. Remember this when I describe the antics that follow, for though I am not a villain, I am not immune to villainy.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries while you rejoice.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I'm feeling reckless - or honest, maybe. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I swear the older I get, the more I value bad examples over good ones. It's a good thing too, because most people are egotistical, neurotic, self-absorbed peons, insistent on wearing near-sighted glasses in a far-sighted world. And it's this exact sort of myopic ignorance that has led to my groundbreaking new theory. I call it Mim's Theorem of Monkey See Monkey Don't, and what it boils down to is this: it is my belief that there are some people whose sole purpose of existence is to show the rest of how not to act.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“You spend you life roaming the hillsides, scouring the four corners of the earth, searching desperately for just one persons to fucking get you. And I’m thinking, if you can find that, you’ve found home.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“As simple as it sounds, I think understanding who you are—and who you are not—is not the most important thing of all Important Things.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“You know–I think my best course of action is to just let the ridiculousness of that sentence marinate.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I swear, the longer I live, the less things make sense.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Life can be a real son of a bitch sometimes, bringing things back around long after you've said good-bye.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Home is hard. Harder than Reasons. It's more a storage unit for your life and its collections. It's more than an address, or even the house you grew up in. People say home is where the heart is, but I think maybe home is the heart. Not a place or a time, but an organ, pumping life into my life. There may be more mosquitos and stepmothers than I imagined, but it's still my heart. My home.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Sometimes, things are more embarrassing when you're alone. I guess when no one's around to hear your stupidity, you're forced to bear the brunt of it.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I think about how quickly things have changed for me. But that’s the personality of change, isn’t it? When it’s slow, it’s called growth; when it’s fast, it’s change. And God, how things change: some things, nothings, anythings, everything… all the things change.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Life, it seems, delivers the best punch lines only after we've forgotten we were part of a joke.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Sometimes a thing doesn’t seem real until we say it out loud.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I wish wishing were enough, but it's not. Sometimes you need a thing.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Remember that, Iz. Be a kid of honesty. Wave it like a banner for all to see. Also, while I'm thinking about it - be a kid who loves surprises. Squeal with delight over puppies and cupcakes and birthday parties. Be curious, but content. Be loyal, but independent. Be kind. To everyone. Treat every day like you're making waffles. Don't settle for the first guy (or girl) unless he's the right guy (or girl). Live your effing life. Do so with gusto, because my God, there's nothing sorrier than a gusto-less existence. Know yourself. Love yourself. Be a good friend. Be a kid of hope and substance. Be a kid of appetite, Iz. You know what I mean, don't you? (Of course you do. You're a Malone.) Okay, that's all for now. Catch you on the flip side.
Blimey, get ready.
Signing off,
Mary Iris Malone,
Your Big Sister”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Sometimes you walk into a room one person, and when you come out the other side, you're someone else altogether.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“I have limited experience, but I know this: moments of connection with another human being are patently rare. But rarer still are those who can recognize such a connection when they see one.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“What if … what if … what if … I play the What If? game all the time. But it’s rigged, is the thing. Impossible to win. Asking What If? can only lead to Maybe Things Could Have Been Different, via Was It My Fault?”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“My Reasons may be hard, but my Objectives are quite simple.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“But that’s the personality of change, isn’t it? When it’s slow, it’s called growth; when it’s fast, it’s change.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“He wraps an arm around me, and I swear we were once a single unit, a supercontinent divided millions of years ago - like my fifth grade science project - now reunited into some kaleidoscopic New Pangea. "I'm Madagascar," I say, sleepily. "You're what?" "I'm Madagascar. And you're Africa." He squeezes my shoulder, and - I think he gets it. I bet he does.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Exactly why I don't have a boyfriend," I whisper, turning to the window. Because you've referenced The Lord of the Rings twice before lunch, or because you're talking to yourself? I have to admit, I've got me there.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Pain makes people who they are.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“So I float in silence, watching the final touches of this perfect moonrise, and in a moment of heavenly revelation, it occurs to me that detours are not without purpose. They provide safe passage to a destination, avoiding pitfalls in the process.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Do so with gusto, because my God, there's nothing sorrier than a gusto-less existence.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“Closing his eyes again, Beck repositions his head on the back of his seat, and in one sure movement, reaches over and grabs my hand. Even with his eyes closed, he knew where to find me. I want to cry for a thousand reasons, laugh for a thousand others; this is my anomalous balance, the place where Beck and I can let the ridiculousness of our collective sentences marinate, and other things, too. It’s a singular moment of clarity between two people, and rare or not, I’m not about to let go.
I’m done roaming hillsides.
I’ve scoured the corners of the earth.
And I’ve found my people.
God, I’m almost jealous of myself.
Holding Beck’s hand in my lap, I find a courage I never knew I had and drop my head on his shoulder.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“She never said so out loud, but some things speak loud enough on their own.”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
“You ever have the feeling you lost something important, only to discover it was never there to begin with?”
― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland
David Arnold
Born place: in The United States
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“Sometimes I feel like relationships consist of telling your same life stories to different people until someone finally appreciates them.”
― Kate Rockland, quote from Falling Is Like This
“He is one of those whom God has not quite finished.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from The Pastures of Heaven
“Shall we stroll in the moonlight?” “Brother”—Dev grinned—“I have heard rumors about you.” “No doubt,” Val said easily as they moved off. “They are nothing compared to what one hears about you.” “And that gossip is usually true,” Dev said with no modesty whatsoever as they neared the mews. “Now why are we out here stumbling around in the night?” Val turned and regarded his brother in the moonlight. “So I can remind you not to make disparaging remarks about Mrs. Seaton or her situation with Westhaven where anybody could overhear you. You know what the duke tried to do with the last mistress?” “I’d heard about Elise. Then you are aware of a situation between Westhaven and Mrs. Seaton?” “He’s considering marrying her,” Val said. “Or I think he is. They’re certainly interested in each other.” “They’re a bit more than interested,” Dev said, rubbing his chin. “They were all but working on the succession when I came upon them in the library last night.” “Ye gods. I came upon them in her sitting room this afternoon, door open, all hands in view, but the way they look at each other… puts one in mind of besotted sheep.” “His Grace will be in alt,” Dev said on a sigh. “His Grace,” Val retorted, “had best not get wind of it, unless you want Westhaven to immediately lose all interest.” “Gayle wouldn’t be that stupid, but he would be that stubborn.” Dev tossed a companionable arm around Val’s shoulders. “This will be entertaining as hell, don’t you think? I’m not sure Westhaven’s wooing is entirely well received, and he has to go about it in stealth, winning the lady without alerting the duke. And we have front-row seats.” “Lucky us,” Val rejoined. “Doesn’t working on the succession comport with welcoming a man’s suit?” Dev’s grin became devilish. “That, my boy, is a common misunderstanding among the besotted male sheep of this world. And the female sheep? They like us befuddled, you know…”
― Grace Burrowes, quote from The Heir
“But when the thing that is scaring you is already Jesus, who are you supposed to pray to?”
― Lynda Barry, quote from Cruddy
“In politics as in high school, who you are is to a large extent defined by who you sit with at lunch, and there was no doubt about it, the Earth was sitting at the loser table. It was not, Bob Pope thought, the true destiny of the Earth in our universe to be counted among the diplomatic equivalent of the acne-ridden and the furtively masturbating.”
― John Scalzi, quote from The Android's Dream
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