132 Quotes & Sayings By Tahereh Mafi

I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend. The one who will memorize the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them. I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body. I want to know where to touch you, I want to know how to touch you. I want to know convince you to design a smile just for me. Yes, I do want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend in the entire world. Tahereh Mafi

And I've fallen. So hard. I've hit the ground. Gone right through it. Never in my life have I felt this. Nothing like this. I've felt shame and cowardice, weakness and strength. I've known terror and indifference, self-hate and general disgust. I've seen things that cannot be unseen. And yet I've known nothing like this terrible, horrible, paralyzing feeling. I feel crippled. Desperate and out of control. And it keeps getting worse. Every day I feel sick. Empty and somehow aching. Love is a heartless bastard. . Tahereh Mafi

His hands are holding my cheeks, and he pulls back just to look me in the eye and his chest is heaving and he says, "I think, " he says, "my heart is going to explode, " and I wish, more than ever, that I knew how to capture moments like these and revisit them forever. Because this. This is everything. Tahereh Mafi

And he leans in, so carefully. Breathingand not breathing and hearts beatingbetween us and he’s so close, he’s so close and I can’t feel my legs anymore. I can’t feel my fingers or the cold or the emptiness of this room because all I feel is him, everywhere, filling everything and he whispers“ Please.” He says “Please don’t shoot me for this.” And he kisses me. His lips are softer than anything I've ever known, soft like a first snowfall, like biting into cotton candy, like melting and floating and being weightless in water. It’s sweet, it’sso effortlessly sweet. And then it changes.“ Oh God–”He kisses me again, this time stronger, desperate, like he has to have me, like he’s dying to memorize the feel of my lips against his own. The taste of him is making me crazy; he’s all heat and desire and peppermint and I want more. I've just begun reeling him in, pulling him into me when he breaks away. He’s breathing like he’s lost his mind andhe’s looking at me like something has brokeninside of him, like he’s woken up to find thathis nightmares were just that, that they never existed, that it was all just a bad dream that felt far too real but now he’s awake and he’s safe and everything is going to be okay and I’m falling. I’m falling apart and into his heart and I’m a disaster. . Tahereh Mafi

Hate looks like everybody else until it smiles Tahereh Mafi

I feel like I’ve been split open and stuffed with sunshine. Tahereh Mafi

Please, " he says. "I'm begging you to stop." I still. "I can't stomach your pain, " he says. "I can feel it so strongly and it's making me crazy- please, " he says to me. "Don't be sad. Or hurt. Or guilty. You've done nothing wrong." "I'm sorry-"" Don't be sorry, either, " he says. "God, the only reason I'm not going to kill Kent for this is because I know it would only upset you more. Tahereh Mafi

That this girl would know exactly how to shatter me. Tahereh Mafi

Kenji snorts.“ That’s because you’re not fragile, ” Kenji says. “If anything, everyone needs to protect themselves from you. You’re like a freaking beast, ” he says. Then adds, “I mean, you know–like, a cute beast. A little beast that tears shit up and breaks the earth and sucks the life out of people. Tahereh Mafi

Kenji has a hand pressed to his mouth, desperately trying to suppress a smile. He’s shaking his head, holding up a hand in apology. And then he breaks, laughing out loud, snorting as he tries to muffle the sound. “I’m sorry, ” he says, pressing his lips together, shaking his head again. “This is not a funny moment. It’s not. I’m not laughing Tahereh Mafi

I’m not an idiot, Kenji. I have reasons for the things I say.”“ Yeah, and maybe I’m just saying that you have no idea what you’re saying.”“ Whatever.”“ Don’t whatever me–”“ Whatever, ” I say again.“ Oh my God, ” Kenji says to no one in particular. “I think this girl wants to get her ass kicked.”“ You couldn’t kick my ass if I had ten of them.” Kenji laughs out loud. “Is that a challenge?”" It’s a warning, ” I say to him.“ Ohhhhhh, so you’re threatening me now? Little crybaby knows how to make threats now?”“ Shut up, Kenji.”“Shut up, Kenji, ” he repeats in a whiny voice, mocking me. . Tahereh Mafi

I’m not sure. But there’s something about the darkness, the stillness of this hour, I think, that creates a language of its own. There’s a strange kind of freedom in the dark; a terrifying vulnerability we allow ourselves at exactly the wrong moment, tricked by the darkness into thinking it will keep our secrets. We forget that the blackness is not a blanket; we forget that the sun will soon rise. But in the moment, at least, we feel brave enough to say things we’d never say in the light. Tahereh Mafi

Because I was dying.　　 And Warner could’ve let me die. He was angry and hurt and had every reason to be bitter. I’d just ripped his heart out; I’d let him believe something would come of our relationship. I let him confess the depth of his feelings to me; I let him touch me in ways even Adam hadn't. I didn't ask him to stop.　　 Every inch of me was saying yes.　　 And then I took it all back. Because I was scared, and confused, and conflicted. Because of Adam.　　Warner told me he loved me, and in return I insulted him and lied to him and yelled at him and pushed him away. And when he had the chance to stand back and watch me die, he didn’t.　　 He found a way to save my life.　　 With no demands. No expectations. Believing full well that I was in love with someone else, and that saving my life meant making me whole again only to give me back to another guy.　　 And right now, I can’t say I know what Adam would do if I were dying in front of him. I’m not sure if he would save my life. And that uncertainty alone makes me certain that something wasn't right between us. Tahereh Mafi

And I do. I do wonder, I think about it all the time. What it would be like to kill myself. Because I never really know, I still can't tell the difference, I'm never quite certain whether or not I'm actually alive. I sit here every single day. Run, I said to myself. Run until your lungs collapse, until the wind whips and snaps at your tattered clothes, until you're a blur that blends into the background. Run, Juliette, run faster, run until your bones break and your shins split and your muscles atrophy and your heart dies because it was always too big for your chest and it beat too fast for too long and you run. Run run run until you can't hear their feet behind you. Run until they drop their fists and their shouts dissolve in the air. Run with your eyes open and your mouth shut and dam the river rushing up behind your eyes. Run, Juliette.Run until you drop dead. Make sure your heart stops before they ever reach you. Before they ever touch you. Run, I said. Tahereh Mafi

They filled our world with weapons aimed at foreheads and smiled as they shot 16 candles right through our future. They killed those strong enough to fight back and locked up the freaks who failed to live up to their utopian expectations. Tahereh Mafi

Hope.It's like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It's a fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. And it's the only thing in the world keeping me afloat. Tahereh Mafi

So that's it?" Kenji says. "You just like him for his personality, huh?"" What?"" All of this, " Kenji says, waving a hand in the air, "has nothing to do with him being all sexy and shit and him being able to touch you all the time?"" You think Warner is sexy?"" That is not what I said. Tahereh Mafi

I spent my life folded between the pages of books. In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction. Tahereh Mafi

Are you out of your goddamn mind? You think we can take on two hundred soldiers? I know I am an extremely attractive man, J, but I am not Bruce Lee.”“Who’s Bruce Lee?”“Who’s Bruce Lee?” Kenji asks, horrified. “Oh my God. We can’t even be friends anymore.”“ Why? Was he a friend of yours?”“ You know what, ” he says, “just stop. Just–I can’t even talk to you right now. . Tahereh Mafi

Alice couldn’t explain why, exactly, but she knew now that things had changed between them. Oliver had become her friend in an absolute, uncomplicated way. She was done fighting him, and he was done lying to her. Tahereh Mafi

Kengi?""Yeah?"I take a deep breath. Try to count the stars. "What am I going to do?"" About what?" I hesitate. "About everything." Kenji makes a strange sound. "Shit if I know."" I don't want to do this without you, " I whisper. He leans back. "Who said you're going to do anything without me?" My heart skips a few beats. I stare at him." What?" he asks. Raises his eyebrows. "You're surprised?"" You'll fight with me?" I ask him, hardly breathing. "Fight back with me? Even if it's with Warner?"Kenji smiles. Looks up at the sky. "Hell yeah, " he says. "Really?""I'm here for you, kid. That's what friends are for. Tahereh Mafi

So, ' he says. 'When's the big day? Have you set a date yet?'' What?' I startle. 'For what?'' For the day you're going to stop being such a dumbass, ' he says shooting me a sharp look.' Oh.' I cringe. Kick at the air. 'Yeah, that'll probably never happen.'' Yeah, you're probably right.'' Shut up. Tahereh Mafi

She could see all of Ferenwood from here: the rolling hills, the endless explosion of color cascading down and across the lush landscape. Reds and blues: Maroon and ceruleans. Yellow and tangerine and violet and aquamarine. Every hue held a flavor, a heartbeat, a life. She took a deep breath and drew it all in. Tahereh Mafi

The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections. Tahereh Mafi

I never thought it would get this bad. I never thought the Reestablishment would take things so far. They're incinerating culture, the beauty of diversity. The new citizens of our world will be reduced to nothing but numbers, easily interchangeable, easily removable, easily destroyed for disobedience. We have lost our humanity. Tahereh Mafi

The afternoon our story begins, the quiet parts of being alive were the busiest: wind unlocking Windows; rainlight nudging curtains apart; fresh-cut grass tickling unsocked feet. Days like this made Alice want to set off on a great adventure. Tahereh Mafi

My body is cracking from the pain I have swallowed so Many times, heaving with sobs I can no longer suppress, my dignity dissolving in my tears, the agony of these past few days ripping my skin to shreds. Tahereh Mafi

I count everything. Even numbers, odd numbers, multiples of 10. I count the ticks of the clock i count the tocks of the clock I count the lines between the lines on a sheet of paper. I count the broken beats of my heart I count my pulse and my blinks and the number of tries it takes to inhale enough oxygen for my lungs. I stay like this I stand like this I count like this until the feeling stops. Until the tears stop spilling, until my fists stop shaking, until my heart stops aching. There are never enough numbers. . Tahereh Mafi

I'm in love with you."" Good grief." She kept walking. Tahereh Mafi

I’m a starving child trying to stuff my stomach, gorging my senses on the decadence of these moments as if I’ll wake up in the morning and realize I’m still sweeping cinders for my stepmother. But then Adam’s lips press against my head and my worries put on a fancy dress and pretend to be something else for a while. Tahereh Mafi

I want you to be happy, " I tell him, my eyes searching his. 'I want you to have a family. I want you to be surronded by people who care about you, " I say. 'You deserve that. Tahereh Mafi

Mother often said that she could never be bothered to understand why Alice did the things she did, and now, more than ever, Alice thought never being bothered was a very lazy way to love someone. Tahereh Mafi

I lived in a really dark place. I wasn't safe in my own mind. I woke up every morning hoping to die and then spent the rest of the day wondering if maybe I was already dead because I couldn't even tell the difference. Tahereh Mafi

The Sun is an arrogant thing, always leaving the world behind when it tires of us. The Moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Everyday it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of life. The Moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections. . Tahereh Mafi

You will not be alone, I say to them, spinning to see their faces. You don't need to be afraid anymore. We want to take back our world. We want to save the lives of our family members, our friends. We want your children to have a chance at a better future. And we want to fight. We want to win. I lock eyes with them. And we are asking for your help. Tahereh Mafi

I do know that I don't want to wake him. We were up very late last night. Tahereh Mafi

Laughter comes from living." I shrug, try to sound indifferent. "I've never really been alive before. Tahereh Mafi

I hope he doesn't know he just touched my leg. And nothing happened. Tahereh Mafi

Because it's so hard to be kind to the world when all you've ever felt is hate. Tahereh Mafi

I made so many promises when I arrived here. Now I'm not so sure. Now I'm worried. Now my mind is a traitor because my thoughts crawl out of bed every morning with darting eyes and sweating palms and nervous giggles that sit in my chest, build in my chest, threaten to burst through my chest, and the pressure is tightening and tightening and tightening Life around here isn't what I expected it to be. . Tahereh Mafi

Dear, sweet, beautiful girl, Tahereh Mafi

Because it's so difficult to fight what you cannot control and right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark. Tahereh Mafi

Right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark Tahereh Mafi

I want you to make a list of all of your favorite things, and I want to be on it. Tahereh Mafi

I think wow, I imagine this is what it's like to have friends. Tahereh Mafi

Red was ruby, green was fluorescent, yellow was simply incandescent. Color was life. Color was everything. Color, you see, was the universal sign of magic. Tahereh Mafi

His lips soften into a smile that cracks apart my spine. He repeats my name like the word amuses him. Entertains him. Delights him. Tahereh Mafi

Why are you touchin Tahereh Mafi

I am suspended in the moment. Flickering images faded with age, frozen thoughts hovering precariously in dead space, a whirlwind of memories that slice through my soul. Tahereh Mafi

I have to get out of this room as soon as possible, or my own thoughts will wage war against me. Tahereh Mafi

Loneliness is a strange sort of thing. It creeps up on you, quiet and still, sits by your side in the dark,  strokes your hair as you sleep. It wraps itself around your bones, squeezing so tight you almost can’t breathe. It leaves lies in your heart, lies next to you at night, leaches the light out from every corner. It’s a constant companion, clasping your hand only to yank you down when you’re struggling to stand up. You wake up in the morning and wonder who you are. You fail to fall asleep at night and tremble in your skin. . Tahereh Mafi

Sometimes I think the loneliness inside of me is going to explode through my skin and sometimes im not sure if crying or screaming or laughing through the hysteria will solve anything at all Tahereh Mafi

Things are changing, but this time I'm not afraid. This time I know who I am. This time I've made the right choice and fighting for the right team. I feel safe. Confident Tahereh Mafi

Best to introduce yourself to patience now, so that it might find you when you call upon it later. Tahereh Mafi

First! Does this need to be said? Second! Does this need to be said by me? And third! Does this need to be said by me right now? Tahereh Mafi

And I don't know much about anything in this world but I do know how to read The book written in his eyes. The way he looks at me. Tahereh Mafi

And he leans in, so carefully. Breathing and not breathing and hearts beating between us and he's so close, he's so close and I can't feel my legs anymore. I can't feel my fingers or the cold or the emptiness of this room because all I feel is him, everywhere, filling everything and he whispers" Please." He says, "Please don't shoot me for this. Tahereh Mafi

We write every day, we fight every day, we think and scheme and dream a little dream every day. manuscripts pile up in the kitchen sink, run-on sentences dangle around our necks. we plant purple prose in our gardens and snip the adverbs only to thread them in our hair. we write with no guarantees, no certainties, no promises of what might come and we do it anyway. this is who we are. Tahereh Mafi

Alice jumped from flagstone to flagstone, her face caught in the rainlight glow, her hand grasping for a touch of gold. The towns excitement was contagious, and the air was so thick with promise Alice could almost bite into it. Tahereh Mafi

Warner. A white bird with streaks of gold like a crown atop its head. A fair - skinned boy with gold hair, the leader of Sector 45. It was always him. All along . The link. Tahereh Mafi

Hang tight Hold on Look up Stay strong Hang on Hold tight Look strong Stay up One day I might break One day I mightb r e a kfree Tahereh Mafi

I grieve nothing. I take everything. Tahereh Mafi

Studies have shown that thinking and wondering lead to thoughtful decision-making. It's an epidemic. Tahereh Mafi

Hate looks just like everybody else until it smiles. Until it spins around and lies with lips and teeth carved into the semblance of something too passive to punch. Tahereh Mafi

My mind is a warehouse of carefully organized human emotions. I lock away the things that do not serve me. Tahereh Mafi

I'm wearing dead cotton on my limbs and a blush of roses on my face. Tahereh Mafi

I hear Warner laugh. I see him smile. It's the kind of smile that transforms him into someone else entirely, the kind of smile that puts stars in his eyes and a dazzle on his lips and I realize I've never seen him like this before. I've never seen his teeth--so straight, so white, nothing less than perfect. A flawless, flawless exterior for a boy with a black, black heart. It's hard to believe there's blood on the hands of the person I'm staring at. He looks soft and vulnerable--so human. His eyes are squinting from all his grinning and his cheeks are pink form the cold. He has dimples. He's easily the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And I wish I'd never seen it. Tahereh Mafi

We've been shattered and reconstructed, told to make an effort every single day to pretend we still function the way we're supposed to. But it's a lie, it's all a lie; every person, place, thing and idea is a lie. I do not function properly. I am nothing more than the consequence of catastrophe. Tahereh Mafi

My thoughts, I think, will soon be sound. My mind, I hope, will soon be found. Tahereh Mafi

I am not myself. My thoughts are tangled in words that are not my own. Tahereh Mafi

She'd decided long ago that life was a long journey. She would be strong and she would be weak, and both would be okay. Tahereh Mafi

I can do anything I want. Be with anyone I want. And it'll be my choice. Tahereh Mafi

The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Tahereh Mafi

My father couldn't warm my frozen hands. Tahereh Mafi

I didn't want the clothes or the perfect shoes or the expensive anything. I didn't want to be draped in silk. All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart. Tahereh Mafi

Alice would choose to love herself, different and extraordinary, every day of the week. Tahereh Mafi

1, 320 seconds walk into the room before he does. Tahereh Mafi

The only existence I know now is the one I was given. An echo of what used to be. Tahereh Mafi

His smile is laced with dynamite. Tahereh Mafi

He says : " please don't shoot me for this " and he kissed me . Tahereh Mafi

Nothing in this life will ever make sense to me but I can't help but try to collect the change and hope it's enough to pay for our mistakes. Tahereh Mafi

I can't be my own person if I constantly require someone else to hold me together. Tahereh Mafi