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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“Margery," I blurted out in a passion of frustration. "I don't know what to make of you!"

Nor I you, Mary. Frankly, I cannot begin to comprehend the motives of a person who dedicates a large portion of her life to the contemplation of a God in whom she only marginally believes."

I felt stunned, as if she had struck me in the diaphragm. She looked down at me, trying to measure the effect of her words.

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Her words, the power of her conviction, broke over me like a great wave, inundating me, robbing me of breath, and, as they receded in the room, they pulled hard at me to folllow. I struggled to keep my footing against the wash of Margery's vision, and only when it began to lose its strength, dissipated against the silence in the room, was I seized by a sudden terror at the nearness of my escape.”
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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.