Quotes from The Testing

“Things don't always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“The best leaders make mistakes and then learn from them. The best leaders never make the same mistakes again. The only way you can learn is if you understand the mistakes that were made.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Leaders are forced to kill all the time. Then they have to learn to live with the decisions they make. Just like I'm going to learn to live with mine.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“[...] the biggest failures typically come before the biggest breakthroughs. That no matter what, I should never get discouraged. Learn from my mistakes and all will be well.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Maybe that’s the mark of a real leader. Admitting a mistake has been made and finding a way to stop it at all costs.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“All leaders have to live with disappointment at some point or another. If I have to learn that lesson early, I won’t enjoy it, but I will do my best not to let you down.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Boys and dating haven’t been on my priority list. And they certainly can’t be now.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“The earth is resilient, but it’s hard to imagine a time when this place will be anything but a terrible reminder of what we as a people can do.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“don’t always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“At five feet, two inches, I am the shortest girl in my class.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“the biggest failures typically come before the biggest breakthroughs. That no matter what, I should never get discouraged. Learn from my mistakes and all will be well.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Things don’t always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Tell a girl you love her and she automatically gets bossy. Well, I guess I can’t complain since you’re asking me to take off my pants.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“The Testing is no longer filled with excitement for the opportunity to help the Commonwealth rebuild. The Testing is now about staying alive.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Leaders are forced to kill all the time. Then they have to learn to live with the decisions they make. Just like I’m going to learn to live with mine.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“All the living want to do is care for the dead. And now they, too, are among the fallen.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“You’re lucky both you and your boyfriend were chosen,” she says with quiet sincerity. “Tomas isn’t my boyfriend.” I feel the blush on my cheeks. “You could have fooled me.” She gives me a wide smile. “I think he’s in love with you.” “He’s just watching out for me. You know, since we’re from the same colony,” I say, but I can’t help the thrill I feel at her words.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“You're going to get up and face whatever comes. I'll be proud of you no matter what today brings.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“I think it's a good idea to be prepared for whatever might be coming. If they aren't real, then we won't be any worse off for keeping alert. If they are . . .”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Forgetting that it happened doesn't change anything. Nothing can change the past.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Well, maybe that's what the whole test is really about. Leaders are forced to kill all the time. Then they have to learn to live with the decisions they make. Just like I'm going to learn to live with mine.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“All leaders have to live with disappointment at some point or another. If I have to learn that lesson early, I won't enjoy it, but I will do my best not to let you down.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“I wish I could go back to who I was, but I'm different.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Perhaps that’s the first rule I will learn as an adult—that you can’t always get what you want. Zeen”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“Knowing I may never see the room again makes me look at it with fresh eyes. A fire glows in the hearth nestled into the back wall. A square, worn brown rug sits in the middle of the room. Two sets of bunk beds are arranged on either side of the rug. Only mine, the bottom bed closest to the fireplace, has the sheets tucked in and the quilt smoothed. As soon as the boys graduated from school, Mom declared them old enough to tidy up their own beds. And they decided they were old enough not to care whether they slept in tightly tucked sheets. We each have a wooden chest for our everyday clothes and shoes. The special clothes are hung in the large wooden armoire in the corner. Mother always talks about first impressions. I gnaw on my bottom lip and weigh the merits of all my clothes. Feeling confident is always easier when dressed in something special, but I hear my father’s voice replay in my head. I imagine the abandoned city street he walked in his dream. The two dresses I own won’t help me there. And even if the dreams aren’t real, I know in my heart pretty clothes won’t help once The Testing begins.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

“turn to say as much to Tomas when his lips find mine in a gentle kiss. My heartbeat quickens. I can’t see his face in the darkness, but I know Tomas is giving me the chance to pull away. But I don’t. I lean in and feel Tomas’s mouth smile against mine before the kiss deepens. I snake a hand around his neck and hold tight as a thrilling shiver travels through me. Despite our tenuous situation, nothing has ever felt this perfect.”
― Joelle Charbonneau, quote from The Testing

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Popular quotes

“For us to perceive intelligence, it has to fit within our behavioural framework.”
― Frank Schätzing, quote from The Swarm

“What can we do with a creature who returns to his doom with such a free heart?”
― R.K. Narayan, quote from Malgudi Days

“After a moment, he shook his head. “Quickly and mercifully is best. Clay? Go out and ask her into the alley.”
Clay looked at Jeremy as if he’d just been told to dance the rumba on a public thoroughfare.
I bit back a laugh. “Just walk over to her and point at the alley. Maybe say…I don’t know…something like ‘fifty bucks.’ ” I looked at Jeremy. “Does that sound right? Fifty?”
His brows shot up. “Why are you asking me?”
“I wasn’t—I just meant, as a general…” I threw up my hands. “How am I supposed to know how much a hooker costs?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
I sighed. “Fine, fifty bucks sounds good. It’s not like she knows what the going rate is anyway. Just say
that and nod at the alley. She’ll follow.”
Clay continued to stare at us in silent horror.
“Oh, for God’s sake, you’re ready to break her neck but you can’t—”
“I’ll do it,” Jeremy said, then shot a look my way. “Not that I have any more experience soliciting prostitutes than Clay does.”
“Never crossed my mind.”
A mock glare, then he headed out.”
― Kelley Armstrong, quote from Broken

“He unsnapped her jeans and said, “I want you just like this.” Then he kissed her.
There was nothing romantic about Diaz, no murmured sweet things, no gallant gestures, just this kiss that went on and on, deep and voracious. She’d never been kissed like this before, with an intensity that stripped everything down to the simplest components: male, female. He held her with his hand burrowed into her hair, her skull gripped in his palm, her head tilted back while he fed from her mouth. That was what it felt like, a taking. And yet he gave, too. He gave pleasure. She burned with it, the flames fueled by nothing more than his mouth and tongue.”
― Linda Howard, quote from Cry No More

“Like the sweet moon keeps the sky
Like the wind goin' whooshing by
When those ol' sunbeams break the day
I will keep you while you play
Just as ol' river keeps the fishes
And little stars keep silver wishes
Just as the ocean keeps the blue
I will stand here close to you.
When all around is dark and deep
When them ol' shadows slowly creep
Even when you're fast asleep
It's you I'll keep, it's you I'll keep
No need to cry, no need to fear
I will always be right here.
I will always be right here.”
― Kathi Appelt, quote from The Underneath

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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.