“It’s funny. I used to look up at the stars and feel so small and unimportant. But I’ve come to realize that the only thing that can ever make you feel alive and important is the one person who takes you for you.”
“Why the war paint, Pix?
Because I can't stand the girl underneath....
"Why the tattoos ?"
Because I can't bear seeing the scars of my past.”
“We were both just too messed up to ever be with each other in the way we needed to be. Two shooting stars that burned out too quickly, never quite reaching each other’s skies.”
“Famiglia isn’t always blood, mio caro. Famiglia is built on bridges of love. Famiglia is there for you without condition. Famiglia supports you in your darkest moment of need.”
“We all have secrets, Austin. Some people’s are bigger than others, that’s all. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“There’s you and me. We’re on a beach somewhere, living near the water. You’re laughing so hard, so free. You’re healthy. Strong. And we have three fuckin’ kids. All of them with dark hair and eyes. They’re running around splashing in the water as I hold you in my arms, watching them. I feel you laughing against my chest, and not the fake shit you put on show for your friends. It’s real happy laughter, laughter from your heart.”
“Two shooting stars that burned out too quickly, never quite reaching each other’s skies.”
“I don’t need to look up at the stars to feel inferior, Austin. All I have to do is open my eyes and look at myself in the mirror.”
“I’m lost without you.
I can’t breathe without you.
Without you here, all I can do is fall…”
“We all have secrets. Secrets well buried. Until we find the one soul who makes the burden of such secrets just that little bit easier to bear.”
“When you’re ready, look up. I am waiting for you, baby. I’ll always be there, waiting for you.”
“The soothing vocals of “Ave Maria” serenaded from the small speaker, and Austin looked at me and shrugged in embarrassment. “It makes her smile,” was all he said. I lost a piece of my heart to him right then.”
“I just figure I’ll never let you outta my sight for a while.”
Giggling, Lexi replied, “Careful, Carillo, that’s sounding scarily like a declaration of commitment.”
“Call it what you like, Pix. All I know is I like you. And I wanna see you more. I’m a Heighter from the boonies with a rap sheet--”
“And I’m an emo-anorexic virgin that can’t be touched,” she finished off.
“Match made in heaven, huh?” I said with a wink.
“What could possibly go wrong?” Lexi joked.”
“I have fallen hopelessly in love with the Italian tattooed bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. And I fall into his protective, open arms with one hundred percent abandon.”
“You see, Pix, I have scars too. It’s just mine are on the outside where everyone can see.”
“Sometimes, someone could stumble unannounced into the train wreck that is your life and begin to pull you out of the heavy rubble weighing down on your chest.”
“I wanted to be brave. I wanted to be the girl who was falling hopelessly in love with this boy who knew my biggest secret…this boy who could be arguably as broken as me…this boy who claimed he needed me as much as I needed him. I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be loved for just plain ol’ normal me.”
“Make love to me.”
Austin’s muscles tensed.
“Lexi…” He trailed off.
As I gripped his hair, I pushed, “Austin, make love to me. Just…be gentle… There’s a chance I might break…”
“You fuckin’ bulldozed me, Pix. You, my tiny dark pixie, made all my defences crumble to dust.”
“She looked at me like I was suddenly her whole world. I felt that look sear right into my heart. Ain’t no one ever looked up on me with such grace, with such trust before, and I felt humbled that she chose to gift it to me
… All anyone ever saw when they looked at me was the white trash ex-gang member from the Heighter-famed trailer park across town.
But not her.
Fuck knows why, but Pix only ever saw more.”
“To the many around the world who feel lost, insecure or inferior. Breathe deep. Be strong. Be brave. And if you fall, look up to the stars and reach for their glittering lights. You are meant to stand tall with the rest of the world. You are not damaged… You are beautiful.”
“Why the War Paint Pix? Why the Tattoo's Austin?”
“Pix, I need you”…
“I think…I think I might need you too.”
“Maybe we were not together; maybe we weren’t. I didn’t care what we labelled it. She could talk to me and I could talk to her. Boyfriend/girlfriend titles had no place among the truly fucked up. Just that there was someone else like you, someone to understand.”
“I've been hurt.
I've been saved.
And I've found hope.”
“I am not a piece of property, damn it!"
"But you are in my possession."
She enunciated, "I think you are a lunatic."
"Since you are too, that works well enough." His mouth curled into a smile.”
“I told him I'd always found the description a little too long on adjectives and a little too short on specifics.”
“Choosing leaf or flesh, factory farm or family farm, does not in itself change the world, but teaching ourselves, our children, our local communities, and our nation to choose conscience over ease can.”
“Que pouvions-nous faire, donc? Vivre? C'est exactement dans ce genre de situation qu'écrasés par le sentiment de leur propre insignifiance les gens se décident à faire des enfants; ainsi se reproduit l'espèce, de moins en moins il est vrai.”
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.