Adult Assembly Required Quotes

Someone once told me that anxiety lives in the unknown future, depression lives in the unforgettable past, and peace lives in acceptance of the present moment.

It’s hard to love yourself while simultaneously striving to become the best you you can be, which implies your current version could use some work.

but the thing with Target is there is always something...ideal.

I’ve learned recently that my mind isn’t the safest neighborhood to go into alone.

The only thing better than canceling plans is having the other person cancel plans.

No, it's provably true. I've proved it. The best cure for a sad heart is a - happy vagina.

Everyone contributes something, and I guess I bring the awkward.

I think new relationships are definitely exciting, but I also think love sometimes feels like sailing into harbor." She finished her wine. "Like running into someone you've known a long, long time but never met before.

He’d been lurking in the shadows, a catnip mouse nearby, fresh teeth marks dimpling its damp surface. Even cats cut loose on Saturday night.

the inner motivations of books.

Being a grown-up is accepting help when you need it. So get a therapist work on your shit...

You convince yourself you’re building a safety net for your kids when in fact it’s a trap they’ll spend the rest of their lives trying to get free of.

As a child she’d been terrorized by a tuxedo cat named Rollo who would wake her at 5:00 a.m. every day by placing a soft white paw on her eyelid and leaning on it.

Laura looked at the cat. The cat looked at her. Neither of them said anything, Laura because she didn’t speak cat and the cat because she was mentally composing a letter to her senator.

Catching and holding the attention of an eight-year-old on Halloween is like trying to catch a hummingbird with a piece of dental floss. It's theoretically possible, but not very likely.

Most of us are still in some small way victims of the Industrial Revolution. Whether through our grandparents, our parents, or our own experience, we were raised to believe that our place in life required compliance and conformity rather than creativity and uniqueness. We have been raised in a world where information is deemed far more important than imagination. Adults replaced dreams with discipline when they were finally ready to grow up and be responsible for their lives. Whether this contrast was reinforced on an assembly line, in a cubicle, or in a classroom, the surest path to acceptance in society is accepting standardization. And we more than willingly, relinquish our uniqueness.

I thought being a grown-up meant not needing help with anything.” “No,” said Nina, “being a grown-up is accepting help when you need it.

I expected adult life to be long stretches of mastery, occasionally interrupted by a steep learning curve of chaos and excitement, but I learned recently it’s the other way around.

When the body experiences a sudden shock, it actually freezes for one twenty-fifth of a second and then deploys intense psychological curiosity, mobilizing every neuron and nerve, every sense, every possible input to work out exactly what just happened. In a microsecond or two the brain gathers the intel, sorts it, analyzes it, cross-references it, and is ready to issue directions for what to do next.

When two people meet, each one is changed by the other so you’ve got two new people.

You’re moving to crazy town, her mother had said. You’ll be balancing your chakras and putting crystals in your colon before you know it.

Laura rolled her eyes so hard she almost dislocated an eyelash.

--she always imagine her muscles as a highly trained team of miniature hers, little Lauras in leotards looking focused and dedicated and crushing it like an amazing internal flashmob.

Maggie wondered if heʻd been too nervous about seeing Madeleine to eat. She chided herself for failing Parenting 101: Blood Sugar, Enemy and Friend; and then remembered it wasnʻt her job any longer. All this knowledge sheʻd amassed over the two decades of child-rearing, all useless now. Like throwing out high school textbooks after graduation --wonʻt need these anymore.

Nick, stop talking and listen to me. Iʻve found something I actually want to do, not something other people think I will be good at. I like playing sports, I like my new friends, and I like trivia. You and I maybe been friends since we were kids, but you donʻt know me at all. Youʻre being incredibly rude and itʻs time for you to leave. Please go back to New York and break the news to my parents that I really am, one hundred percent, in every way, lost to science." She pushed her chair back, worried she was about to burst into tears, ashamed of not being able to control herself. "You can also tell them Iʻm very happy, not that any of you really care about that." She stood up and smiled tightly at her landlady. "Maggie, thanks for a lovely dinner. Madeleine, Iʻd like to say it was nice to meet you, but youʻre kind of a bitch. Nina, thanks for the T-shirt." She took it from Nina as she passed her. "Iʻll call you tomorrow." Then she left the room, walked to her bedroom, and shut the door. After a second of silence, both dogs got up and followed her.

that child only needs the slightest encouragement to go rogue

I know it’s hard to imagine right now, but Los Angeles does have different seasons: There are three days of spring every May, an unpredictable and unpleasantly hot summer from then until three days of crisp and lovely fall sometime in November, then an unpredictable and unpleasantly chilly winter until the three-day spring rolls around again.

Of course not," said Liz supportively, though she was beginning to regret even starting this conversation in the first place. Liz had what you might call resting approachable face, which meant this kind of detailed personal download go thrust on her all the time. It was a pity, because she really wasn't very interested.

There is no way I'm willingly going to run anywhere, unless it's to the bookstore, because it's on fire, and I'm carrying the last two buckets of water.

The secret to happiness isn’t always in your head. Sometimes it’s entirely in your hands.

When two people meet, each one is changed by the other so you’ve got two new people. —John Steinbeck

Yes, she had adopted a stray cat who’d had kittens in the store, and yes, she had a new relationship she sometimes blushed over, but generally speaking she viewed humanity with a jaundiced eye.

In Los Angeles, a city built in the desert, the deep green of lawns and trees is a better indicator of true wealth than the pale green of dollars.

throughout my life, using skills or talents or a person’s raw physical power to help them rise to the top of their society came and went. In the beginning, it was the strength in their arms to swing their swords. Then the tongue to sway large groups to accomplish something together. It became those who developed the sciences, and then—to a degree—it was those again who had physical prowess and could run or shoot a ball into a hoop. Yet, it was those who produced the food, built the homes, protected society, or taught the children or young adults who often weren’t supported. They would do their jobs, punch their time cards, and do what needed to get done to keep society going. My suggestion is to consider all work—if done well—equal. Government needs to be in place, but we’ll require some form of service as your debt to society. Perhaps you are a musician but can test into working with an R&D lab in the future. Can that be your service?” “That,” Bethany Anne replied, “could be a nightmare. Just think about the ongoing effort for some of Jean Dukes’ stuff. There’s no way we could place a person into a project for two weeks and then they leave.” Michael tapped a finger on the table. “I understand. However, let me give you a quote from a worker to Jack Welch.” “Who?” Peter interrupted. Stephen answered, “Jack Welch. He was the CEO of General Electric—GE—back on Earth in the twentieth century.” Michael continued, “He was talking to the assembly line workers at one of their businesses and one of the men spoke up, telling Welch that ‘for twenty-five years you paid for my hands when you could have had my brain as well for nothing.’” The table was quiet a moment, thinking about that. Peter was the first to break it. “Makes sense. We use that concept in the Guardians all the time. Everyone has a role to play, but if you have ideas you need to speak up.” “It would,” Addix added, “allow those interacting to bring new ways of thinking to perhaps old and worn-out strategies.” “What about those who truly hated the notion?” Stephen asked. “I can think of a few.” “I’m tempted to say ‘fuck ‘em.’” Bethany Anne snorted. “However, I know people, and they might fuck up the works. What about a ten-percent charge of their annual wealth if they wish to forego service?” “Two weeks,” Michael interjected, “is at best four percent of their time.” “Right,” Bethany Anne agreed, “so I’d suggest they do the two weeks. But if they want to they can lose ten percent of their annual wealth—which is not their annual income, because that shit can be hidden.” The Admiral asked, “So a billionaire who technically made nothing during the year would owe a hundred million to get out of two weeks’ service?” “Right,” Bethany Anne agreed. “And someone with fifty thousand owes five thousand.” “Where does the money go?” Peter asked. Admiral Thomas grinned. “I suggest the military.” “Education?” Peter asked. “It’s just a suggestion, because that is what we are talking about.” Stephen scratched his chin. “I can imagine large corporations putting income packages together for their upper-level executives to pay for this.” “I suggest,” Bethany Anne added, “putting the names of those who opt out on a public list so everyone knows who isn’t working.” “What about sickness, or a family illness they need to deal with?” Stephen countered. “With Pod-docs we shouldn’t have that issue, but there would have to be some sort of schedule. Further, we will always have public projects. There are always roads to be built, gardens to be tended, or military

Besides, being able to competently make your way in the world is an incredible achievement in and of itself, especially after trauma.

Maybe you should stop listening to yourself," said Polly. "It sounds like youʻre maybe not giving yourself the best advice." Her tone was light but her expression was serious. "Iʻve learned recently that my mind isnʻt the safest neighborhood to go into alone

Polly was so forthright she blew right past Lauraʻs defenses and made them feel unnecessary. Laura didnʻt really understand the mechanics of it; one minute she was completely alone and feeling like crap, the next minute Polly was there and she was feeling better.

Well? What do you think?" asked Nina. They DID want her opinion. Laura swallowed. "Uh, well, being engaged and being married are two different things. Do one at a time." Leah gazed at her, then looked at Nina. "You didnʻt say she was Yoda.

They pulled into the Denny’s parking lot and made their way to the entrance. The Denny’s smelled the same as every other Denny’s—pancakes, coffee, relaxed good humor. You know the smell.

Do other people find being alive easier than this?

As always, the food made everything better. Dogs and good food: universal improvers.