Quotes from Summer and the City

Candace Bushnell ·  409 pages

Rating: (13.1K votes)


“sometimes the best thing to do is to
pretend it didn't happen”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Just because something doesn't last forever, it doesn't mean it wasn't meaningful while it did last. It doesn't mean it wasn't important.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I'm not ashamed of anything I've done.
Shame is a useless emotion.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“maybe he's falling in love with the idea of falling in love with me. Maybe he wants to be in love with someone and I've ended up in the right place at the right time.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“The heart wants what the heart wants”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City



“All men are a disappointment. No matter what anyone says.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I'm certainly not going to put my life on hold for him.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Should, is the worst word
in the English language. People always think things "should" be a certain way, and when they're
not, they're disappointed.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“It's hard to be careful, though, when you feel indestructible.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City



“You choose the end of the summer to fall in love with this guy
because secretly, you don’t want it to last.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Always look like you know where you're going, even when you don't”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Why do magazines do this to women? It's
all about creating insecurity. Trying to make women feel like they're not good enough. And when women don't feel like they're good enough, guess what? Men win. That's how they keep us down.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Like me, he has a searing belief that books are sacred. They might not be to other people, but when you have a passion, you hold on to it. You defend it. You dont pretend it isn't important at the risk of offending others." -Carrie.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I don't consider my work a job. I consider it a career. And you
don't quit a career.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City



“The heart wants what the heart wants," she says, somewhat cryptically. I purse my lips in disapproval. "You'd think the heart would know better.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Have I ever been in love? Really in love? And why is it that with each new guy I think I'm more in love with him than the last?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Why do I keep evading my work? Is it because I’m afraid of being confronted by my lack of abilities?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Everything I need is in my head, and no one can take that away.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“If a man doesn’t ask you to marry him -- or at least live with him -- after two years, he never will. It means he’s only interested in having a good time.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City



“Why do magazines do this to women?” Miranda complains now, glaring at Vogue. “It’s all about creating insecurity. Trying to make women feel like they’re not good enough. And when women don’t feel like they’re good enough, guess what?”
“What?” I ask, picking up the grocery bag.
“Men win. That’s how they keep us down,” she concludes.
“Except the problem with women’s magazines is that they’re written by women,” I point out.
“That only shows you how deep this thing goes. Men have made women coconspirators in their own oppression. I mean, if you spend all your time worrying about leg hair, how can you possibly have time to take over the world?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Should," I suddenly recal myself saying to Samantha and Miranda, "is the worst word in the English language. People always thing thing 'should' be a certain way, and when they're not, they're disappointed.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I’ve never understood sexy lingerie. I mean, what’s the point? The guy’s only going to take it off.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“No matter what you think you can be, when you’re forced to stop and look at where you actually are, it’s pretty depressing.
Sometimes, there is no escaping the truth”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Have I become the girl who waits by the phone, hoping it will ring, who asks a friend to dial her number to make sure the phone is working?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City



“Sex. It’s the biggest sham of all. I mean, your whole life, all you ever hear is how you’re supposed to save yourself for marriage. And how it’s so special. And then you finally do it. And you’re like, that’s it? This is what everyone’s been raving about?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Maybe you can’t have it both ways. His life and your life. How do you put two lives together, anyway?”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“Don’t you think it’s weird when someone has photographs of themselves all over the place? It’s like they’re trying to prove they exist.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


“I take his hand in mine, running my fingers over the palm. His hands are lovely and lean, and I can't help thinking about those hands on my body. The sexiest part of a man is his hands.”
― Candace Bushnell, quote from Summer and the City


About the author

Candace Bushnell
Born place: Glastonbury, Connecticut, The United States
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“An explanation of some kind was an absolute necessity, just as some working explanation of the universe is necessary—however absurd—to the happiness of every individual who seeks to do his duty in the world and face the problems of life.”
― Algernon Blackwood, quote from The Willows


“Porque entonces era lo suficientemente atontada para no darme cuenta que aquél era uno de los infinitos hombres que nacen sólo para sementales y junto a una mujer no entienden otra actitud que ésta. Su cerebro y su corazón no llegan a más.”
― Carmen Laforet, quote from Nada


“Be the voice of night and Florida in my ear.
Use dusky words and dusky images.
Darken your speech.

Speak, even, as if I did not hear you speaking,
But spoke for you perfectly in my thoughts,
Conceiving words,

As the night conceives the sea-sounds in silence,
And out of their droning sibilants makes
A serenade.”
― Wallace Stevens, quote from The Collected Poems


“My problem was not only drinking; it was selfishness. The booze was leading me to put myself ahead of others, especially my family. I loved Laura and the girls too much to let that happen. Faith showed me a way out.”
― George W. Bush, quote from Decision Points


“I sometimes give myself excellent advice. Occasionally, I even listen to it.”
― Jim Butcher, quote from Ghost Story


Interesting books

At Swim, Two Boys
(6.7K)
At Swim, Two Boys
by Jamie O'Neill
Sullivan's Island
(14.8K)
Sullivan's Island
by Dorothea Benton Frank
Vagabond
(12.5K)
Vagabond
by Bernard Cornwell
White Wolf
(7.8K)
White Wolf
by David Gemmell
In Dubious Battle
(9.6K)
In Dubious Battle
by John Steinbeck
Kill the Dead
(16.9K)
Kill the Dead
by Richard Kadrey

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.