1
Do people look the same when they go to heaven, mommy?"" I don't know. I don't think so."" Then how do people recognize each other?"" I don't know, sweetie. They just feel it. You don't need your eyes to love, right?R.J. Palacio
2
No, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds.R.J. Palacio
3
The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average-- though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.R.J. Palacio
4
Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreamsR.J. Palacio
5
I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand.R.J. Palacio
6
I think we're too young to be dating. I mean I don't see what the rush is." Summer says. "Yeah, I agree, " said August. "Which is kind of a shame, you know what with all those babes who keep throwing themselves at me and stuff?R.J. Palacio
7
The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.R.J. Palacio
8
Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.R.J. Palacio
9
I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.R.J. Palacio
10
He meticulously tries to get every hair in place. He tilts his head to look at himself from different angles, like there's some magic perspective in the mirror that could change the dimensions of his face'- Olivia/ Via thinkingR.J. Palacio
11
It's so weird how that can be, how you could have a night that's the worst in your life, but to everybody else it's just an ordinary night.R.J. Palacio
12
The most important precept is to be aware of WHO WE ARE! “Who we are, ” he said, underlining each word as he said it. “Who we are! Us! Right? What kind of people are we? What kind of person are you? Isn’t that the most important thing of all? Isn’t that the kind of question we should be asking ourselves all the time? “What kind of person am I?Learning who you are is what your are here to do.R.J. Palacio
13
Do people look the same when they get to heaven?"" I don't know. I don't think so."" Then how do people recognize each other?"" I don't know, sweetie." She sounded tired." They just feel it. You don't need your eyes to love, right? You just feel it inside you. That's how it is in heaven. It's just love, and no one forgets who they love.R.J. Palacio
14
Its better to know some question than all answers -James ThurberR.J. Palacio
15
Suddenly, I can't move. I can't speak. I am set in stone, but it's a glorious chiseled sort of stone.Travis Thrasher
16
So yeah, maybe this will be the rest of our lives. Pot roast and Diet Cokes and my parents making eyes at each other. As for those slaps and punches and hateful words, we'll just sweep those under the rug or wherever they can go.Travis Thrasher
17
I think of this girl, this bright light coming from such a dark place. I know that the things she believes about God and the Bible and hope and all that are very real to her. They're not nice sayings on Twitter just to fill a box. They're the things she truly believes. I'm not sure I'm ready to rejoice, and I'm not quite ready to pray. The cool thing is that Marvel knows this. She knows this and doesn't seem to mind. .Travis Thrasher
18
Guys can't tell girls what to do. That's an unspoken rule. Learn that now and you'll be way ahead of the game.Travis Thrasher
19
One of the reasons I grew my hair long last year was that I like how my bangs cover my eyes: it helps me block out the things I don't want to see."- August thinkingR.J. Palacio
20
So I just went over and sat with him. Not a biggie. I wish people would stop trying to turn it into something more. He's just a kid. The weirdest-looking kid I've ever seen, yes. But just a kid.R.J. Palacio