Quotes from One Plus One

Jojo Moyes ·  368 pages

Rating: (116.9K votes)


“You know, you spend your whole life feeling like you don’t quite fit in anywhere. And then you walk into a room one day, whether it’s at university or an office or some kind of club, and you just go, ‘Ah. There they are.’ And suddenly you feel at home.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Real friends were the kind where you pick up where you’d left off, whether it be a week since you’d seen each other or two years.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“The only thing Jess really cared about were those two children and letting them know they were okay. Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you had your mother at your back, you'd be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn't like in you, something they hadn't initially seen, and to grow cold and disappear, too, like so much sea mist. Because there had to be something wrong, didn't there, if even your own mother didn't really love you?”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Everyone I've ever met who was worth knowing was a bit different at school. You just need to find your people'
'Find my people?'
'Your tribe”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One



“When you put someone down all the time, eventually they stop listening to the sensible stuff.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“The law of probability combined with the law of large numbers states that to beat the odds, sometimes you have to repeat an event an increasing number of times in order to get you to the outcome you desire. The more you do, the closer you get. Or… basically, sometimes you just have to keep going.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“We all make mistakes. Go and take your punishment, then come back and start again.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“You see, he had once known a woman who had told herself she could do anything – and then decided she could do nothing; a woman who, finding herself at her lowest, did her best to push everyone away. And he realized in that moment that he had to make things right. He felt her injustices more fiercely than he had ever felt anything for himself. He realized, as he held her to him and kissed the top of her head and felt her cling to him, that he would do anything he could to make her happy, and her kids, and to keep them safe and give them a fair chance.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“She was always tired, these days. She put on one of those smiles that wasn’t really a smile at all, and they went on.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One



“Heartbreak was a luxury too costly for the single parent.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Do you know what my name is, converted to binary code?"
He looked at her. "Is Tanzie your full name?"
"No. But it's the one I use."
He blew out his cheeks. "Um. Okay. 01010100 01100001 01101110 01111010 01101001 01100101."
"Did you say 1010 at the end? Or 0101?"
"1010. Duh.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you still had your mother or father at your back, you’d be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Who was it who had said you were only as happy as your unhappiest child?”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“I know I shouldn't be," he murmured, "but I woke up really happy." His face scanned hers. "I mean, like, really, stupidly happy. Like even though my whole life is a disaster, I just...I feel okay. I look at you, and I feel okay.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One



“If someone wanted to be with you, after all, they just made it happen.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Convinced that if she wished hard enough, good things would finally happen.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“It wasn't that Ed would make it okay--he had his own problems to deal with--but somehow the sum of them added up to something better. They would make it okay.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Jess’s grandmother had often said that the key to a happy life was a short memory.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“We all make mistakes. Go and take your punishment, then come back and start again. Do even better next time. I know you can.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One



“Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you still had your mother or father at your back, you’d be okay.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“Sometimes, she told herself, life was a series of obstacles that just had to be negotiated, possibly through sheer act of will. She stared out at the muddy blue of the endless sea, gulped in the air, lifted her chin, and decided that she could survive this. She could survive most things. It was nobody’s right to be happy, after all.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“She wanted to tell him to go but she couldn’t bear it if he did”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“I don’t know. Maybe I just believe in second chances.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“She couldn’t believe losing someone you had known such a short time could feel like losing part of yourself, that it could make food taste wrong and colors seem dull.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One



“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn’t hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn’t need her. You didn’t need anyone. And, without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn’t like in you, something they hadn’t seen initially, and to grow cold and disappear, like so much sea mist, too. Because there had to be something wrong, didn’t there, if even your own mother didn’t really love you? It was why she hadn’t been devastated when Marty left. Why would she be? He couldn’t hurt her. The only thing Jess really cared about was those two children, and letting them know they were okay by her. Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you still had your mother or father at your back, you’d be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved. Jess hadn’t done much to be proud of in her life, but the thing she was most proud of was that Tanzie knew it. Strange little bean that she was, Jess knew she knew it. She was still working on Nicky.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“When Jess had Tanzie, young and daft as she had been, she'd had enough wisdom to know she was going to tell her how much she loved her every day. She would hug her and wipe her tears and flop with her on the sofa with their legs entwined like spaghetti. She would cocoon her in love.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“He smiled, the kind of smile that denotes private happiness, the kind where you have nothing to prove.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


“He dropped his head and kissed her. He kisses her and it was a kiss of utter certainty, the kind of kiss during which monarchs die and whole continents fall without your even noticing.”
― Jojo Moyes, quote from One Plus One


About the author

Jojo Moyes
Born place: in London, England, The United Kingdom
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