Quotes from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn't be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I'm just saying.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“What's a dementor?"
I mean, I can't even. "Nora, you are no longer my sister."
"So it's some Harry Potter thing," she says.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“People really are like house with vast rooms and tiny windows. And maybe it's a good thing, the way we never stop surprising each other.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“The way I feel about him is like a heartbeat -- soft and persistent, underlying everything.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“He talked about the ocean between people. And how the whole point of everything is to find a shore worth swimming to.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“But I'm tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Sometimes it seems like everyone knows who I am except me.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“It is definitely annoying that straight (and white, for that matter) is the default, and that the only people who have to think about their identity are the ones who don't fit that mold. Straight people really should have to come out, and the more awkward it is, the better. Awkwardness should be a requirement.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I mean, I feel secure in my masculinity, too. Being secure in you masculinity isn't the same as being straight.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I don't even know. I'm just so sick of straight people who can't get their shit together.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I’m too busy trying not to be in love with someone who isn’t real.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“He tells me to pick the music. I’m not sure if he knows that handing me his iPod is like handing me the window to his soul.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I take a sip of my beer, and it's - I mean, it's just astonishingly disgusting. I don't think I was expecting it to taste like ice cream, but holy fucking hell. People lie and get fake IDs and sneak into bars, and for this? I honestly think I'd rather make out with Bieber. The dog. Or Justin.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“And then I kiss him for real, and he kisses me back, and his hands fist my hair. And we're kissing like it's breathing. My stomach flutters wildly. And somehow we end up horizontal, his hands curved up around my back.

"I like this," I say, and my voice comes out breathless. "We should do this. Every day."
"Okay."
"Let's never do anything else. No school. No meals. No homework."
"I was going to ask you to see a movie," he says, smiling. When he smiles, I smile.
"No movies. I hate movies."
"Oh, really?"
"Really, really. Why would I want to watch other people kissing," I say, "when I could be kissing you?”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Really, though, there are only two kinds of weather: hoodie weather and weather where you wear a hoodie anyway.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Did you just tell us you're gay?" Asks Nick
"Yes."
"Okay," he says. Abby swats him. "What?"
"That's all you're going to say? Okay?"
"He said not to make a big deal out of it," Nick says. "What am I supposed to say?"
"Say something supportive. I don't know. Or awkwardly hold his hand like I did. Anything"
Nick and I look at each other.
"I'm not holding your hand," I tell him, smiling a little.
"All right"--he nods--"but know that I would.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“The closest thing I’ve ever had to a journal is probably you.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“And you know what? You don’t get to say it’s not a big thing. This is a big fucking thing, okay? This was supposed to be—this is mine. I’m supposed to decide when and where and who knows and how I want to say it.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Nothing is worse than the secret humiliation of being insulted by proxy.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I fall a little bit in love with everyone.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“People are shameless when it comes to cake. It's a beautiful thing to see.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“There's something about you that makes me want to open up, and that's slightly terrifying to me.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Wow, is that Katniss making out with Yoda?”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways...And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“It feels like we’re the last survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Wonder Woman and a gay dementor. It doesn’t bode well for the survival of the species.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“It's strange because in reality, I'm not the leading guy. Maybe I'm the best friend. I guess I didn't think of myself as interesting until I was interesting to Blue.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“And this gay thing. It feels so big. It's almost insurmountable. I don't know how to tell them something like this and still come out of it feeling like Simon. Because if Leah and Nick don't recognize me, I don't even recognize myself anymore.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“There are some socks that shouldn't be washed by your mom.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Anyway, we have something for you.”
“Is it another awkward anecdote about me breast-feeding?”
“Oh my God, you were all about the boob,” my dad says. “I can’t believe you turned out to be gay.”
“Hilarious, Dad.”
― Becky Albertalli, quote from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

About the author

Popular quotes

“All we are, all we can be, are the stories we tell. Long after we are gone, our words will be all that is left, and who is to say what really happened or even what reality is? Our stories, our fiction, our words will be as close to truth as can be. And no one can take that away from you.”
― Nora Raleigh Baskin, quote from Anything But Typical

“What will happen at very low temperatures is indicated in Fig. 1-4: the molecules lock into a new pattern which is ice. This particular schematic diagram of ice is wrong because it is in two dimensions, but it is right qualitatively. The interesting point is that the material has a definite place for every atom, and you can easily appreciate that if somehow or other we were to hold all the atoms at one end of the drop in a certain arrangement, each atom in a certain place, then because of the structure of interconnections, which is rigid, the other end miles away (at our magnified scale) will have a definite location. So”
― Richard Feynman, quote from Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brilliant Teacher

“Here is light. You will say that it is not a living entity, but you miss the point that it is more, not less. Without occupying space, it fills the universe. It nourishes everything, yet itself feeds upon destruction. We claim to control it, but does it not perhaps cultivate us as a source of food? May it not be that all wood grows so that it can be set ablaze, and that men and women are born to kindle them?”
― Gene Wolfe, quote from The Citadel of the Autarch

“I can’t help feeling as if there’s something missing in my life. But I don’t know what it is. And the harder I look, the more I can’t find it because there’s just too much pressure and not enough time.”
― Alexandra Potter, quote from Who's That Girl?

“Hell won't be so bad, you know. After all, I'll be there to keep you company.”
― Tess Oliver, quote from Camille

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.