R.J. Palacio
21 quotes
Biography
"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."
"Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams"
"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."
"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?"
"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."
"At first I thought he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking, but then he put his palms on his eyes and I realized he was crying. It was the quietest crying I've ever heard. Like a whisper. I was going to go over to him, but then I thought maybe he was whisper-crying because he didn't want me or anyone else to hear him."
"You don't need your eyes to love, Right?"
"If you don't know what to do, just be kind. You can't go wrong."
"Such a simple thing, kindness. Such a simple thing. A nice word of encouragement, given when needed. An act of friendship. A passing smile."
"Always try to be a little kinder than necessary."
"It's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness. And what does that mean? How is that measured? You can't use a yardstick. It's like I was saying just before: it's not like measuring how much you've grown in a year. It's not exactly quantifiable, is it?"
"The only thing that I know that truly heals people is unconditional love."
"I thought it would teach them a thing or two about empathy, and friendship, and loyalty. As it turns out, Jack Will didn't need to learn any of these virtues- he already had them in abundance."
"Sometimes it's good to start over"
"sometimes i think my head is so big because its full of dreams"
"Sometimes when I have the feeling like I’m almost crying, it can turn into an almost-laughing feeling."
"No, no, it's not all random, if it was really 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."
"So doesn't that make the universe a giant lottery, then? You purchase a ticket when you're born. And it's all just random whether you get a good ticket or a bad ticket. It's all just luck."
"And I wondered how it would feel to be in Heaven and not have my face matter anymore. Just like how it never, ever mattered to Daisy."
"olivia reminds me of a bird sometimes, how her feathers get all ruffled when she's mad. and when she's fragile like this, she's a little lost bird looking for its nest."
"-"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."