S.e. Hinton Quotes

I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.

If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky.

Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold . . .” The pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died.

It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.

They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.

You get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you...

Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too.

Things are rough all over.

Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.

It's okay. We aren't in the same class. Just don't forget that some of us watch the sunset too.

He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he'd die someday.

Get smart and nothing can touch you.

Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too.

Nothing can wear you out like caring about people.

I am a greaser. I am a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our fair city. I beat up people. I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society. Man do I have fun!

Dally was so real he scared me.

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home...

...I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted.

Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.

You know what the crummiest feeling you can have is? To hate the person you love the best in the world.

Nothing sparkly can stay.

The difference is that was then, this is now.

I liked my books and clouds and sunsets.

There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defense.

Johnny almost grinned as he nodded. "Tuff enough," he managed, and by the way his eyes were glowing, I figured Southern gentlemen had nothing on Johnny Cade.

Asleep, he looked a lot younger than going-on-seventeen, but I had noticed that Johnny looked younger when he was asleep too, so I figured everyone did. Maybe people are younger when they are asleep.

I wish I was a kid again, when I had all the answers.

You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows.

Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be..." What was the matter with Two-Bit? I knew as well as he did that if you got tough you didn't get hurt. Get smart and nothing can touch you... "What in the world are you doing?" Two-Bit's voice broke into my thoughts. I looked up at him. "Picking up the glass." He stared at me for a second, then grinned. "You little sonofagun," he said in a relieved voice. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in a trash can. I didn't want anyone to get a flat tire.

You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn't a gang anymore. It's a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering park like the Socs in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or the wolves in the timber.