Daring And Dashing Quotes

We've searched our database for all the quotes and captions related to Daring And Dashing. Here they are! All 100 of them:

β€œ
The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's no getting over that.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I want to believe there is a somebody out there for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Luckily, I always travel with a book, just in case I have to wait on line for Santa, or some such inconvenience.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I wanted to talk to someone. But who? It’s moments like this, when you need someone the most, that your world seems smallest.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You want meaning? Well, the meanings are out there. We're just so damn good at reading them wrong.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here's a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn't just the women. It's the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she's the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don't want a very long courtships. They want to know immediately.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Well sure, who doesn't need a boyfriend? but realistically, those exotic creatures are hard to come by. At least a quality one.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I've always resented Hermione, because I wanted to be her so badly and she never seemed to appreciate as much as I thought she should that she got be her. She got to live at Hogwarts and be friends with Harry and kiss Ron, which was supposed to happen to me.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
It's hard to answer a question you haven't been asked. It's hard to show you tried unless you end up succeeding.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I mean, like most guys, you carry around this girl in your head, who is exactly who you want her to be. The person you think you will love the most. And every girl you are with gets measured against this girl in your head.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I want to believe there is a somebody out there just for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Be careful what you're doing, because no one is ever who you want them to be.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
There are just lots of possibilities in the world...I need to keep my mind open for what could happen and not decide that the world is hopeless if what I want to happen doesn't happen. Because something else great might happen in between.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I mean, what if love isn't a yes-or-no question? It's not either you're in love or you're not. I mean, aren't there different levels? And maybe these things, like words and expectations and whatever, don't go on top of the love. Maybe it's like a map, and they all have their own place, and then when you see it from the sky - whoa.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I find I very rarely live up to my words. And since you know me primarily through my words, there are oh so many ways I can disappoint.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
We believe in the wrong things, that's what frustrates me the most. Not the lack of belief, but the belief in the wrong things. You want meaning? Well, the meanings are out there. We're just so damn good at reading them wrong.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I'm told there's no going back. So I'm choosing forward.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's not getting over that.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
The universe doesn't decide what's right or not right. You do.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
But whether or not you are here, you are hereβ€”because these words are for you, and they wouldn't exist if you weren't here in some way.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You have to trust the words. They do not create anything more than themselves.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Somewhere between a friend and acquaintanceβ€”a frequaintance, as it were.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
We all just took the bookstore at its word, because if you couldn't trust a bookstore, what could you trust?
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Maybe, it's not the distance that's the problem, but how you handle it.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas: It brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meandered the streets and children trudged sleds and chased snowballs. No one seemed to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happened.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
But isn't this a dance? Isn't all of this a dance? Isn't that what we do with words? Isn't that what we do when we talk, when we spar, when we make plans or leave it to chance? Some of it's choreographed. Some of the steps have been done for ages. And the rest -- the rest is spontaneous. The rest has to be decided on the floor, in the moment, before the music ends.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
With all due respect, if you’re forty-three, then I’m a fetus.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I showed him the Post-it. β€œYou see They’re from Lily.” β€œWho’s Lily?” β€œSome girl.” β€œOoh... a girl!” β€œBoomer, we’re not in third grade anymore. You don’t say, β€˜Ooh... a girl!’” β€œWhat? You fucking her?” β€œOkay, Boomer, you’re right. I liked β€˜Ooh... a girl!’ much more than that. Let’s stick with β€˜Ooh... a girl!
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You bookish little pervert.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Are you going to be playing for the pure thrill of unreluctant desire?
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Making love without noise is like playing a muted piano-fine for practice, but you cheat yourself out of hearing the glorious results.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
It is much harder to lie to someone's face. But. It is also much harder to tell the truth to someone's face.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
This must be part of Mother Nature's master planβ€”making these boys so irresistibly cute, in such a naughty way, that the purity of their intentions becomes irrelevant.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You should never wish for wishful thinking.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Prayer or not, I want to believe that, despite all evidence to the contrary, it is possible for anyone to find that one special person. That person to spend Christmas with or grow old with or just to take a nice silly walk in Central Park with. Somebody who wouldn't judge another for the prepositions they dangle, or their run-on sentences, and who in turn wouldn't be judged for the snobbery of their language etymology inclinations.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I'm told there's no going back. So I'm choosing forward.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Deep down, you see, I long to be arcane, esoteric. I would love to confound people with their own language.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
The handwriting was a girl’s. I mean, you can tell. That enchanted cursive.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
It's only a game if there is an absence of meaning. And we've already gone too far for that.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Dullness is the spice of life. Which is why we must always use other spices.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Things change all the time, mostly in little ways.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Game over," you say, and I don't know which I take more exception to-- the fact that you say its over, or the fact that you say it's a game.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
All this hoping for something- or someone- that's maybe hopeless. I'm having a hard time processing what I am supposed to believe, or if I'm even supposed to. There is too much information, and I don't like a lot of it.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
When in doubt, ingest carbs.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Wherever I went, I was on the wrong end of the stampede.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Cinderella was such a dork. She left behind her glass slipper at the ball and then went right back to her step-monster's house. It seems to me she should have worn the glass slipper always, to make herself easier to find. I always hoped that after the prince found Cinderella and they rode away in their magnificent carriage, after a few miles she turned to him and said, "Could you drop me off down the road please? Now that I've finally escaped my life of horrific abuse, I'd like to see something of the world, you know?... I'll catch back up with you later, Prince, once I've found my own way.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
And who am I to blow against the wind?
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Be careful what you’re doing, because no one is ever who you want them to be. And the less you really know them, the more likely you are to confuse them with the girl or boy in your head
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I know it was more than that. But it was also less than that, too.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
It looks like Animal and Miss piggy had sex," I said. "And this was the spawn." "My eyes!" Boomer cried. "My eyes! I can't stop seeing it now that you've said it!
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You’re beautiful, just the way you are. Shine on. And dare anyone to turn off the lights.
”
”
Mandy Hale (The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass)
β€œ
You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here’s a hintβ€”ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn’t just the women. It’s the great male fantasyβ€”all it takes is one dance to know that she’s the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you knowβ€”this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don’t want a very long courtship. They want to know immediately.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
So he's worth a second shot? The more apt question, my dear, is: are you?
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
The reward is in the risk.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I don’t know what boldness came over me, but the resolute heaviness of Dash’s demeanor threatened to crush my soul. My pinky finger crept over and nestled against his, for comfort. Like a magnet, his pinky finger latched onto and intertwined with mine. I like magnets a whole lot.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
A guy can do far far worse than surrounding himself with people who restore his faith in humanity.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I am not dangerous. Only the stories are dangerous. Only the fictions we create, especially when they become expectations.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
In a field, I am the absence of field. In a crowd, I am the absence of crowd. In a dream, I am the absence of dream. But I don't want to live as an absence. I move to keep things whole. Because sometimes I feel drunk on positivity. Sometimes I feel amazement at the tangle of words and lives, and I want to be a part of that tangle. "Game over," you say, and I don't know which I take more exception to- the fact that you say that it's over, or the fact that you say it's a game. It's only over when one of us keeps the notebook for good. It's only a game if there is an absence of meaning. And we've already gone too far for that.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Hello, my name is ees Lebkuchen Spice, and I vant to show you my coooooookies...
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I deciced if I were ever to get into booze and women, my line would be, 'Excuse me, madam, but I would really love to bed and muss you. . . . Are you perchance free this evening?
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I had always felt that mittens were a few steps back on the evolutionary scale-- why, I wondered, would we want to make ourselves into a less agile version of lobster.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
A dream deferred is a dream denied.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Why do we feel the need to disconnect in order to connect?
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Family, like arsenic, works best in small doses...unless you prefer to die.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
No, really,' I said. 'I think she's great. And I honestly like her about twenty more times now than I did when we were dating. But love needs to have a future. And Sofia and I don't have a future. We've just had a good time sharing the present, that's all.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Why is it so much easier to talk to a stranger? why do we feel we need to disconnect in order to connect? If I wrote "Dear Sofia" or "Dear Boomer" or "Dear Lily's Great-Aunt" at the top of this postcard, wouldn't that change the words that followed? Of course it would. But the question is: When I wrote "Dear Lily," was that just a version of "Dear Myself"? I know it was more than that. But it was also less than that, too
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Fate has a strange way of making plans.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Danger comes in many forms, I suppose. For some people, it might be jumping off a bridge or climbing impossible moutains. For others, it could be a tawdry love affair or telling off a mean-looking bus driver because he doesn't like to stop for noisy teenagers. It could be cheating at cards or eating a peanut even though you're allergic. For me, danger might be getting out from the protective cloak of my family and venturing into the world more of my own, even though I don't know what- or who- awaits me.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
So what else can I tell you?" I asked. "I mean, to get you to reveal Lily to me." She triangled her fingers under her chin. "Let's see. Are you a bed wetter?" "Am I a...?" "Bed wetter. I am asking if you are a bed wetter." I knew she was trying to get me to blink. But I wouldn't. "No, ma'am. I leave my beds dry." "Not even a little drip every now and then?" "I'm trying hard to see how this is germane." "I'm gauging your honesty. What is the last periodical you read methodically?" "Vogue. Although, in the interest of full disclosure, that's mostly because I was in my mother's bathroom, enduring a rather long bowel movement. You know, the kind that requires Lamaze." "What adjective do you feel the most longing for?" That was easy. "I will admit I have a soft spot for fanciful." "Let's say I have a hundred million dollars and offer it to you. The only condition is that if you take it, a man in China will fall off his bicycle and die. What do you do?" "I don't understand why it matters whether he's in China or not. And of course I wouldn't take the money." The old woman nodded. "Do you think Abraham Lincoln was a homosexual?" "All I can say for sure is that he never made a pass at me." "Are you a museumgoer?" "Is the pope a churchgoer?" "When you see a flower painted by Georgia O'Keefe, what comes to mind?" "That's just a transparent ploy to get me to say the word vagina, isn't it? There. I said it. Vagina.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
The best is when we all go at once, like an army of interrelated popcorn zombies who laugh the same laughs and gasp the same gasps and aren’t so germ-phobic with each other that we won’t share a ginormous Coke with one straw. Family is useful like that.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I couldn't fault her for believing, because I had to imagine i was nice to have that illusion still intact.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I hope suffering don't exist.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Sorry to be so cynical, but this is New York
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I always hoped that after the prince found Cinderella and they rode away in thier magnificent carriage, after a few miles she turned to him and said "could you drop me off down the road, please? Now that I've finally escaped my life of horrific abuse, I'd like to see something of the world, you know? Maybe backpack across Europe or Asia? I'll catch back up with you later, Prince, once I've found my own way.
”
”
Rachel Cohn
β€œ
Here," she said. "This is for you." "I didn't really get you anything," I sputtered. "I mean, I didn't know that you were going to be here, and--" "Don't worry. It's your embarrassment at not having the thought that counts.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I walked inside Macy’s and faced the pathetic spectacle of a department store full of shoppers, none of whom were shopping for themselves. Without the instant gratification of a self-aimed purchase, everyone walked around in the tactical stupor of the financially obligated.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I’ve always resented Hermione, because I wanted to be her so badly and she never seemed to appreciate as much as I thought she should that she got to be her. She got to live at Hogwarts and be friends with Harry and kiss Ron, which was supposed to happen to me.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I wish I could remember the moment when I was a kid and I discovered that the letters linked into words, and that the words linked to real things. What a revelation that must have been. We don't have the words for it, since we hadn't yet learned the words. It must have been astonishing, to be given the key to the kingdom and see it turn in our hands so easily.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
That’s what I like about sports. No matter if everyone playing the game speaks completely different languages, on the field, or the court, wherever they are playing, the language of moves and passes and scores is all the same. Universal.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
No funny stuff in here tonight, you understand?” Dash said, β€œI assure you I could not contemplate any of your so-called funny stuff seeing as how I have no idea why I’m even here.” Mark scoffed. β€œYou bookish little pervert.” β€œThank you, sir!” Dash said brightly.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily that I felt we'd all been duped by Plato and the idea of a soul mate. Just in case it turned out that she was mine.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
That's because you're interpreting it the wrong way. I didn't mean it as a wistful, overdramatic declaration. I mean that the love I felt for him was huge and real, and, while painful, it forever changed me as a person, in the same way that being your brother reflects and changes how I evolve, and vice versa. The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's no getting over that.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
She raised her hand to cut me off. "I am aware of your epistolary flirtation. Which is all well and good--as long as it's well and good. Before I ask you some questions, perhaps you would like some tea?" "That would depend on what kind of tea you were offering." "So diffident! Suppose it was Earl Grey." I shook my head. "Tastes like pencil shavings." "Lady Grey." "I don't drink beverages named after beheaded monarchs. It seems so tacky." "Chamomile?" "Might as well sip butterfly wings." "Green tea?" "You can't be serious." The old woman nodded her approval. "I wasn't." "Because you know when a cow chews grass? And he or she chews and chews and chews? Well, green tea tastes like French-kissing that cow after it's done chewing all that grass." "Would you like some mint tea?" "Only under duress." "English breakfast." I clapped my hands. "Now you're talking!
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Dash is getting very frisky in here with me, Mark." What I wanted to say was I wish Dash was getting frisky in here with me. Dash raised an eyebrow at me again. "No he's not," Mark said. "How do you know?" "Because if he was, you wouldn't be calling me to rescue you right now, Googly Eyes.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Boomer took bites of all six varieties, contemplating each one and "guring out the order in which he would then eat them. β€œI like the brown one and the lighter brown one and the almost-brown one. I’m not so sure about the minty one. But really, I think the lebkuchen spice one is the best.” β€œThe what?” β€œThe lebkuchen spice one.” He held it up for me. β€œThis one.” β€œYou’re making that up. What’s a lebkuchen spice? It sounds like a cross between a Keebler elf and a stripper. Hello, my name ees Lebkuchen Spice, and I vant to show you my cooooookies...” β€œDon’t be rude!” Boomer protested. As if the cookie might be offended.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
If you tell me, I will leave you alone," I said. "And if you don't tell me, I am going to grab the nearest ghostwritten James Patterson romance novel and I am going to follow you through this store reading it out loud until you relent. Would you prefer me to read from Daphne's Three Tender Months with Harold or Cindy and John's House of Everlasting Love? I guarantee, your sanity and your indie street cred won't last a chapter. And they are very, very short chapters." Now I could see the fright beneath the defiance.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
In a field, I am the absence of field. In a crowd, I am the absence of crowd. In a dream, I am the absence of dream. But I don't want to live as an absence. I move to keep things whole. Because sometimes I feel drunk on positivity. Sometimes I feel amazement at the tangle of words and lives, and I want to be a part of that tangle.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Do you want to guess what's in here?" I asked Dash. "I think I've got it figured out already. There's a new supply of red notebooks in there, and you want us to fill them in with clues about the works of, say, Nicholas Sparks." "Who?" I asked. Please, no more broody poets. I couldn't keep up. "You don't know who Nicholas Sparks is?" Dash asked. I shook my head. "Please don't ever find out," he said.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I figured being a bed salesman was a job of biblically bad paradox. I mean, here he was, forced to stand for eight or nine hours a day, and the whole time he’s surrounded by beds. And not only that, he’s surrounded by shoppers who see the beds and can’t help but think, Man, I’d love to lie down on that bed for a second. So not only does he have to stop himself from lying down, but he has to stop everyone else from doing it, too. I knew if I were him, I would be desperate for human company.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
A Great Rabbi stands, teaching in the marketplace. It happens that a husband finds proof that morning of his wife's adultery, and a mob carries her to the marketplace to stone her to death. There is a familiar version of this story, but a friend of mine - a Speaker for the Dead - has told me of two other Rabbis that faced the same situation. Those are the ones I'm going to tell you. The Rabbi walks forward and stands beside the woman. Out of respect for him the mob forbears and waits with the stones heavy in their hands. 'Is there any man here,' he says to them, 'who has not desired another man's wife, another woman's husband?' They murmur and say, 'We all know the desire, but Rabbi none of us has acted on it.' The Rabbi says, 'Then kneel down and give thanks that God has made you strong.' He takes the woman by the hand and leads her out of the market. Just before he lets her go, he whispers to her, 'Tell the Lord Magistrate who saved his mistress, then he'll know I am his loyal servant.' So the woman lives because the community is too corrupt to protect itself from disorder. Another Rabbi. Another city. He goes to her and stops the mob as in the other story and says, 'Which of you is without sin? Let him cast the first stone.' The people are abashed, and they forget their unity of purpose in the memory of their own individual sins. β€˜Someday,’ they think, β€˜I may be like this woman. And I’ll hope for forgiveness and another chance. I should treat her as I wish to be treated.’ As they opened their hands and let their stones fall to the ground, the Rabbi picks up one of the fallen stones, lifts it high over the woman’s head and throws it straight down with all his might it crushes her skull and dashes her brain among the cobblestones. β€˜Nor am I without sins,’ he says to the people, β€˜but if we allow only perfect people to enforce the law, the law will soon be dead – and our city with it.’ So the woman died because her community was too rigid to endure her deviance. The famous version of this story is noteworthy because it is so startlingly rare in our experience. Most communities lurch between decay and rigor mortis and when they veer too far they die. Only one Rabbi dared to expect of us such a perfect balance that we could preserve the law and still forgive the deviation. So of course, we killed him. -San Angelo Letters to an Incipient Heretic
”
”
Orson Scott Card (Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2))
β€œ
So there we were. Once upon a time, during the storybook version of dating we'd gone through, I'd pretended that it was possible to love her when I only mildly liked her. Now I had no desire to pretend we'd ever be in love, and I liked her madly. 'Can we try to be wise with each other for a very long time?' I asked her. She laughed. 'You mean, can we share our fuckups and see if we can get any wisdom out of them?' 'Yeah,' I said. 'That would be nice.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Aesthetic and utilitarian considerations aside," I said, "Those mittens don't particularly make sense. Why would you want to hitchhike to the North Pole? Isn't the whole gimmick of Christmas that there's home delivery? You get up there, all you're going to find is a bunch of exhausted, grumpy elves. Assuming, of course, that you accept the mythical presence of a workshop up there, when we all know there isn't even a pole at the North Pole, and if global warming continues, there won't be any ice, either." "Why don't you just fuck off?" the woman replied. Then she took her mittens and got out of there.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
You really think love needs to have a future?” β€œAbsolutely.” β€œGood,” Lily said. β€œSo do I.” β€œGood,” I echoed, leaning in. β€œSo do you.” β€œDon’t repeat what I say,” she told me, swatting at my arm. β€œDon’t repeat what I say,” I murmured, smiling. β€œYou’re being silly,” she said, but the silliness was falling out of her voice. β€œYou’re being silly,” I assured her. β€œLily is the greatest girl who ever was.” I drew closer. β€œLily is the greatest girl who ever was.” For a moment, I think we’d forgotten where we were. And then the officers returned, and we were reminded once again.
”
”
David Levithan (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
Well, well, well,” Santa said once the elf had retreated. β€œCome and sit on my lap, little boy.” This Santa’s beard was real, and so was his hair. He wasn’t fucking around. β€œI’m not really a little boy,” I pointed out. β€œGet on my lap, then, big boy.” I walked up to him. There wasn’t much lap under his belly. And even though he tried to disguise it, as I went up there, I swear he adjusted his crotch. β€œHo ho ho!” he chortled. I sat gingerly on his knee, like it was a subway seat with gum on it. β€œHave you been a good little boy this year?” he asked. I didn’t feel that I was the right person to determine my own goodness or badness, but in the interest of speeding along this encounter, I said yes. He actually wobbled with joy. β€œGood! Good! Then what can I bring you this Christmas?” I thought it was obvious. β€œA message from Lily,” I said. β€œThat’s what I want for Christmas. But I want it right now.” β€œSo impatient!” Santa lowered his voice and whispered in my ear. β€œBut Santa does have a little something for you”—he shifted a little in his seatβ€”β€œright under his coat. If you want to have your present, you’ll have to rub Santa’s belly.” β€œWhat?” I asked. He gestured with his eyes down to his stomach. β€œGo ahead.” I looked closely and saw the faint outline of an envelope beneath his red velvet coat. β€œYou know you want it,” he whispered. The only way I could survive this was to think of it as the dare it was. Fuck off, Lily. You can’t intimidate me. I reached right under Santa’s coat. To my horror, I found he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. It was hot, sweaty, Geshy, hairy … and his belly was this massive obstacle, blocking me from the envelope. I had to lean over to angle my arm in order to reach it, the whole time having Santa laugh, β€œOh ho ho, ho ho oh ho!” in my ear. I heard the elf scream, β€œWhat the hell!” and various parents start to shriek. Yes, I was feeling up Santa. And now the corner of the envelope was in my hand. He tried to jiggle it away from me, but I held tight and yanked it out, pulling some of his white belly hair with me. β€œOW ho ho!” he cried. I jumped o1 his lap. β€œSecurity’s here!” the elf proclaimed. The letter was in my hand, damp but intact. β€œHe touched Santa!” a young child squealed.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
I’m looking for Fat Hoochie Prom Queen,” I declared. He did not respond. β€œIt’s a book,” I said. β€œNot a person.” Nope. Nothing. β€œAt the very least, can you tell me the author?” He looked at his computer, as if it had some way to speak to me without any typing on his part. β€œAre you wearing headphones that I can’t see?” I asked. He scratched at the inside of his elbow. β€œDo you know me?” I persisted. β€œDid I grind you to a pulp in kindergarten, and are you now getting sadistic pleasure from this petty revenge? Stephen Little, is that you? Is it? I was much younger then, and foolish to have nearly drowned you in that water fountain. In my defense, your prior destruction of my book report was a completely unwarranted act of aggression.” Finally, a response. The information desk clerk shook his shaggy head. β€œNo?” I said. β€œI am not allowed to disclose the location of Fat Hoochie Prom Queen,” he explained. β€œNot to you. Not to anyone. And while I am not Stephen Little, you should be ashamed of what you did to him. Ashamed.
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))
β€œ
We believe in the wrong things. That's what frustrates me the most. Not the lack of belief, but the belief in the wrong things. You want meaning? Well, the meanings are out there. We're just so damn good at reading them wrong. I don't think meaning is something that can be explained. You have to understand it on your own. It's like when you're starting to read. First, you learn the letters. Then, once you know what sounds the letters make, you use them to sound out words. You know that c-a-t leads to cat and d-o-g leads to dog. But then you have to make that extra leap, to understand that the word, the sound, the "cat" is connected to an actual cat , and that "dog" is connected to an actual dog. It's that leap, that understanding, that leads to meaning. And a lot of the time in life, we're still just sounding things out. We know the sentences and how to say them. We know the ideas and how to present them. We know the prayers and which words to say in what order. But that's only spelling" It's much harder to lie to someone's face. But. It is also much harder to tell the truth to someone's face. The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable perfection, even though it consist in nothing more than in the pounding of an old piano, is what alone gives a meaning to our life on this unavailing star. (Logan Pearsall Smith) Being alone has nothing to do with how many people are around. (J.R. Moehringer) You could be standing a few feet away...I could have sat next to you on the subway, or brushed beside you as we went through the turnstiles. But whether or not you are here, you are here- because these words are for you, and they wouldn't exist is you weren't here in some way. At last I had it--the Christmas present I'd wanted all along, but hadn't realized. His words. The dream was obviously a sign: he was too enticing to resist. Wow. You must have a lot of faith in me. Which I appreciate. Even if I'm not sure I share it. I could do this on my own, and not freak out that I had no idea what waited for me on the other side of this night. Hope and belief. I'd always wanted hope, but never believed that I could have such an adventure on my own. That I could own it. And love it. But it happened. Because I'm So uncool and so afraid. If there was a clue, that meant the mystery was still intact I fear you may have outmatched me, because not I find these words have nowhere to go. It's hard to answer a question you haven't been asked. It's hard to show that you tried unless you end up succeeding. This was not a haystack. We were people, and people had ways of finding eachother. It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that is humbles the present. Don't worry. It's your embarrassment at not having the thought that counts. You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here's ahint- ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn't just the women. It's the great male fantasy- all it takes is one dance to know that she's the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know--this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don't want a very long courtship. They want to know immediately. Be careful what you;re doing, because no one is ever who you want them to be. And the less you really know them, the more likely you are to confuse them with the girl or boy in your head You should never wish for wishful thinking
”
”
Rachel Cohn (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily, #1))