Zack Quotes

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

Reagan scowled at Cath. "Are you Zack, or are you Cody?
Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl)
It has no eyes. Zack, why doesn’t it have any eyes? 
Barry Kirwan (The Eden Paradox (Eden Paradox, #1))
Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It's a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment.
Zack W. Van
Zack shook his head. "I am glad you aren't mine. You're going to be dead before you're forty." "No," rumbled my husband's soft deep voice from the hallway. "I'm going to be dead before she's forty.
Patricia Briggs (Shifting Shadows (Mercy Thompson #0.1, #0.5, #0.7, #0.9, #1.2, #1.8, #4.5, #5.5, #7.4, #8.5))
Didn’t your mother tell you boys tease the girls they like?” “That only applies to children.” “All men are babies.” “Point taken.” Chloe and Stella- The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club
J.C. Isabella (The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club)
Hello, Gallagher Girl --Zack
Ally Carter
I returned Zack’s hug, and he slipped something into my pocket that felt like one of the vials I’d just bought. He stepped back, looked me earnestly in the eye, and said, “To protect you from the nudge.” Darryl high-fived him as he stepped out on the porch. It made Adam laugh.
Patricia Briggs (Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson, #9))
If you knew this, why did you wait to bring it before the Omegrion? (Savitar) Because I was afraid to come forward...(Zack) And now you're all better? (Savitar)
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Unleash the Night (Dark Hunter, #8; Were-Hunter, #2))
Zack looks at Jenna and slowly pulls off his sunglasses. "Why, hello, beautiful," he says. "I'm Zack." He shows off his dimples. "And you are...?" "Not going to sleep with you," Jenna quips, grinning right back at him. His smile widens. "Well played.
Chelsea Fine (Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate, #1))
The truth is helpless when up against perception
Zack W. Van
He paused, gazing down at her in amusement, "Do you know when I first fell in love with you?" "No, when?" she asked, intrigued. "When you got out of your SUV looking hotter than a firecracker and madder than hell, and you said, 'Don't they stop at red lights where you're from, Forest Gump"'" --Zack to Cori after their first "I love you's
Jo Davis
Jennifer’s eyes begin to water again. “Don’t let anything bad happen to him, Dr. Sampson. My husband is a famous lawyer. He sues doctors when they screw up.” “Jennifer!” Zack exclaims, embarrassed.
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal High (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #5))
When Reality is a prison, Your mind can set you free.
Zack Snyder
The world is simple in a complex way." -Zack Merrick
Zack Merrick
Never discount woman’s intuition Zack. That is real.” “I never discount a woman’s anything, dear. The world would be a better place if woman were in charge.
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal In Blue (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #3))
Dad got me a ... guinea pig?" "For breakfast," Zack said. "That's why I named her Toast. You aren't going to eat her, are you?" "No!" "Woot!" Zack hugged the cage to his chest, carrying it off in the direction of his bedroom. "I hope you don't want to eat Marmalade or Sugar Puff either!" "Marma-- oh, never mid.
Helen Keeble (Fang Girl)
So,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m too much for you. You should have said something. We might be married, Mercy, but no still means no.” I widened my eyes at him. “I just haven’t wanted to hurt your feelings.” “When I give you that little nudge, hmm?” His voice took on a considering air. “Come to think of it, I’m feeling a little nudge coming on right now.” “Now?” I whispered in horrified tones. I looked up toward Jesse’s room. “Think of the children.” He tilted his head as if to listen, then shook it. “They won’t hear anything from there.” He started slowly down the stairs. “Think of Darryl, Zack, Lucia, and Joel,” I said earnestly. “They’ll be scarred for life.” “You know what they say about werewolves,” he told me gravely, stepping down to the ground. I broke and ran—and he was right on my tail. Figuratively speaking, of course. I don’t have a tail unless I’m in my coyote shape.
Patricia Briggs (Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson, #9))
Follow your heart, but don't lose your mind along the way.
Zack W. Van
If she's really psychic," Zack said when he saw Tanisha's photo at school, "why does she need a doorbell?
Joan Bauer (Peeled)
I’m a gamer, Zack. Like you. When I find myself confronted with a puzzle, I can’t help but try to solve it.
Ernest Cline (Armada)
Laying a hand on his heart, she timed its beats to her own. And knew the truest magic was there.
Nora Roberts (Dance Upon the Air (Three Sisters Island, #1))
Good dog! Nice fetch!" "He wasn't fetching." "Bring her here, boy. Good job!" The dog looked from Zack to me. "I've been training him," Zack said. "Up till now he's brought home only dead rabbits, but I guess he's finally getting the hang of it.
Elizabeth Chandler (The Back Door of Midnight (Dark Secrets, #5))
The renaissance of Zack Blake at Renaissance Center, what a story! Maybe Mitch Albom will write a column.
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal of Faith (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #1))
Let me get this straight,” countered Zack. “You’re telling me there is some secret fellow in the church whose job it is to deal with molestation cases when they occur?
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal of Faith (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #1))
Zack said, "What do you need to do to get out of here?" "You have any frags?" "Negative." "Smoke?" "Negative." "Bangers?" "That's a negative." "The f_ck kind of rescue is this?
Mark Greaney (Mission Critical (Gray Man, #8))
I don’t think Jake and Kenny Tracey wanted to get that acquainted with Father Gerry Bartholomew,” Zack quipped. 
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal of Faith (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #1))
As John finished his speech, Zack couldn’t help but wonder how a country that had been served by a brilliant and inclusive president for eight years now chose to elect a narcissistic, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic racist with no experience in government.
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal of Justice (Zachary Blake Betrayal, #2))
I was convinced that there was at least a seventy-three percent chance he was gay. I bumped it up from sixty-eight after our third game. Zack showed up wearing a light pink shirt that was tighter than usual.
Kyle Adams (Dirty Play)
Ellen walks past the lobby in her high heels, stops in her tracks, and turns back around to face Zack. She points at Marvin. "Is that a goat?" Zack nods once. "Yes, ma'am." "In my lobby?" "Yes, ma'am. But he's a friendly goat." Ellen plasters on a polite smile. "I don't care if he's a tap-dancing goat. I want him out of here.
Chelsea Fine (Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate, #1))
Have you ever experienced a beauty of soul, an esthetic grace, that was so intense it made you want to cry?" From Central Park Song ( A Screenplay )
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Do I have to ask what you're smiling about?" From the driver;s seat if the Mustang, Zack cut a glance at her, grinning like a fool. "Same thing you are, Mighty Phallus." --Zack to Cori after a morning of good lovin'.
Jo Davis (Under Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #2))
Why do extroverts have voicemail? To never miss a call. Why do introverts have voicemail? To never answer the phone.
Devora Zack (Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected)
...for the last twelve months I've been more single than a one-dollar bill."~Sammy
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
I had you pictured dead in a pool of blood in front of the fireplace. And now you show up alive, and I want to kill you myself. (Zack)
Jennifer Crusie (Getting Rid of Bradley)
I'm most disturbed by the theory of rubber resilience in children; as if its much easier to bounce back with youth. I see them more like Steel. When heated, they can be bent either which way. But if it's not corrected by the time things cool down, they can be forever changed.
Zack W. Van
I find it difficult to relate to people who enjoy discussing the utterly uninteresting and unchangeable facts of life.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
...being in love can change almost anything: from your expectations and limitations to your very life plans. It's a completely unpredictable force. And how it operates within any particular relationship is a total mystery to anyone outside of that...
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Every person is a puzzle with a password. By solving the puzzle, the potential for emotional and physical intimacy is realized.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Unfettered access to guns is that important to these guys?” Zack is totally disillusioned. POTUS sanctions a teenager’s assassination? Can it be true?
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal High (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #5))
And finally this question The mystery of whose story it will be. Of who draws the curtain. Who is it that chooses our steps in the dance? Who drives us mad? Lashes us with whips and crowning us with victory when we survive the impossible. Who is it... that does all these things? Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us, and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us what's real and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we'll die to defend? Who chains us and who holds the key that can set us free? It's you... You have all the weapons you need... Now fight!
Zack Snyder Sucker Punch
Mr. Bialy said you were a good guy.” “You don’t want a good guy representing you in situations like this one. You want a barracuda when it comes to dealing with bad cops, negligent police departments, and attorneys who represent them. They are afraid of me; they think I’m a bad guy. Please don’t give away my secret.” Sarah chuckles through her tears. He has an easy way about him. I hope he’s an ass-kicker in court. “Your secret is safe with me, Zack.
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal In Black (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #4))
When you look for beauty, you usually end up finding it. From Central Park Song (A Screenplay)
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Rhage’s stare narrowed, but he refused to look at the angel. “Isn’t there a Saved by the Bell marathon you have to go watch?” “Don’t hate on Zack. He’s like your little fucking brother, beauty queen.” Lassiter wandered over, the gold he had on creating an aura around his blond-and-black head and his long body—or maybe the glow actually was an aura.
J.R. Ward (The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #13))
I want to feel like I'm making a difference in this world. And I want some time for living rather than just working. Life is for living, isn't it? It can't be all just for working
Zack Love (The Doorman)
At the time, I didn’t think it was a tragedy, Zack’s fall, but later I wondered if the tragedies in life are only about when you could have been great but weren’t.
Eve Babitz (Black Swans: Stories)
Friggin’ doctors and their friggin’ forms—Zack grouses, silently, forgetting lawyers do the same thing, all the time. 
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal High (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #5))
At times like these, size really does matter," I point out, at I extend my ginormous umbrella over her in a way that stops any rain droplets from falling on her. My Best Valentine's Day Ever, A Short Story by Zack Love
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Trevor cupped his hands around it, felt Zach's heartbeat throbbing between his palms. The skin of the shaft was textured, slightly rippled beneath the surface. The head was as smooth as satin, as rose petals. Trevor rubbed his thumb across it, squeezed gently, heard Zack suck air in through his teeth and moan as he let it out. He could see blood suffusing the tissue just beneath the translucent skin, a deep dusky rose delicately purpled at the edges, crowned with a single dewy pearl of come. It was as intimate, as raw as holding someone's heart in his hands.
Poppy Z. Brite (Drawing Blood)
Zack said, ‘The sun might seem as if it stops shining from time to time because of a cloud or a rainstorm or the nighttime, but it’s still there. It endures everything to nurture the lives that depend on it. You’re my sun. I don’t care if you’re hidden because of a storm or the end of the fucking world. I can’t live without you, and I can’t imagine a world where my son would want to either.’” A couple of tears escape Vera’s eyes.
Lauren Asher (Wrecked (Dirty Air, #3))
If you look at your life as a chain of events, each responsible for the next and caused by the last, where does any story begin?
Zack Whedon (The Shepherd's Tale (Serenity, #3))
Sometimes, you get answers to questions you never thought to ask. And sometimes, the answers make you wish you hadn’t asked the questions in the first place.
Zack Stentz (Colin Fischer)
If you think you need to earn enough points on someone’s rubric for them to accept you, then either you’re wrong to assume they won’t love you for who you are, or they never loved you in the first place.
Zack Smedley (Deposing Nathan)
Everyone has an angel, a guardian who watches over us. We can't know what form they'll take. One day old man, next day little girl. But don't let appearances fool you, they can be as fierce as any dragon. Yet they are not here to fight our battles, but to whisper from a hearth. Reminding that it's us... it's everyone of us who holds the power of the worlds we create.
Zack Snyder Sucker Punch (Sucker Punch: The Art of the Film)
Well why don't you lean over this counter a little more and give me your best kiss, and then I'll tell you if I want you to take me out to dinner.
Zack Love (The Doorman)
Live with the assumption that every day it will rain. If it does, you were right. If it doesn’t, you were fortunate.
Zack W. Van
Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to feign ignorance.
Zack W. Van
The danger of prolonged despair is its tendency to cloud the gift of a new beginning that every tomorrow offers. --Anissa's Redemption
Zack Love
Every human relationship begins with a coincidence. Even the most fundamental relationship - that of parent and child - begins entirely with a coincidence. The child is produced by whatever serendipity brought its parents together, and the fact that the child was born to its particular parents instead of to another couple is pure happenstance. Thus, children have no choice over the relationship that is most important to their existence. By contrast, friends and lovers choose each other, but even these choices are reactions to whatever random coincidence made the resulting relationship possible.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Zack cannot rationalize Kevin’s child-like demeanor with his horrific actions. The two are incompatible. Kevin categorically refutes any suggestion he is insane or incompetent. He was tired of being bullied and decided to do something about it. His mantra is that, maybe in the future, bullies across America and beyond will think twice about picking on the meek and the weak. 
Mark M. Bello (Betrayal High (Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #5))
You can’t hurt him. He’s an endangered species!” “Vampires are not endangered.” Van’s tone made it clear that it was his life’s work to rectify this regrettable situation. “No, not that,” Zack said dismissively. “He’s a Victorian!” “Brainwashed,” Van muttered. “Crazy,” Sarah proclaimed. “Steampunk,” I corrected with a sigh.
Helen Keeble (Fang Girl)
I would like to turn the Kaiser into a good man – a very good man – all at once if I could. That is what I would do. Don't you think, Mrs. Blythe, that would be the very worstest punishment of all?" "Bless the child," said Susan, "how do you make out that would be any kind of a punishment for that wicked fiend?" "Don't you see," said Bruce, looking levelly at Susan, out of his blackly blue eyes, "if he was turned into a good man he would understand how dreadful the things he has done are, and he would feel so terrible about it that he would be more unhappy and miserable than he could ever be in any other way. He would feel just awful – and he would go on feeling like that forever. Yes" – Bruce clenched his hands and nodded his head emphatically, "yes, I would make the Kaiser a good man – that is what I would do – it would serve him 'zackly right.
L.M. Montgomery (Rilla of Ingleside (Anne of Green Gables, #8))
Everyone has an angel. A guardian who watches over us. We can't know what form they'll take. One day, old man. Next Day, little girl. But don't let appearances fool you. They can be as fierce as any dragon. Yet they're not here to fight our battles. But to whisper from our heart, reminding that it's us. It's everyone of us who holds the power over the worlds we create.
Sweet Pea
Who Honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us...and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us what's real...and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we'll die to defend? Who chains us...and who holds the key that can set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!
Zack Snyder
Dear Lord, thank you for introducing me to my two favorite men in the world…Ben and Jerry. I hope you aren’t offended by this threesome.
Sawyer Bennett (Zack (Cold Fury Hockey, #3))
Sometimes violence is necessary to prevent even more violence,” I concluded, almost as if it were an epiphany.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
What place is this,” Drizzt asked the cat quietly, “that I call home? These are my people, by skin and by heritage, but I am no kin to them. They are lost and ever will be. “How many others are like me, I wonder?” Drizzt whispered, taking one final look. “Doomed souls, as was Zaknafein, poor Zak. I do this for him, Guenhwyvar; I leave as he could not, His life has been my lesion, a dark scroll etched by the heavy price exacted by Matron Malice’s evil promises. “Goodbye, Zack!” he cried, his voice rising in final defiance. “My father. Take heart, as do I, that when we meet again, in a life after this, it will surely not be in the hellfire our kin are doomed to endure.
R.A. Salvatore (Homeland (Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #1))
Youth is marked by a breathtaking novelty that diminishes with each year of age - until life becomes a delusive struggle to break routines, escape the ordinary, and rediscover the joy of discovery.
Zack Love (City Solipsism)
Aren't 3,000 lives worth a miracle to a good and all-powerful god?
Zack Love (The Doorman)
Let the park live in you until it sings you a song.
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Check my riddle, and I’ll let you play my fiddle.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
And today is really the happiest day of your life, because today you woke up and stumbled across the shadow of your soul in broad daylight." From Central Park Song: a Screenplay
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Which makes you grip this rail even tighter. And holding it so tightly reminds you of its purpose, and the fact that you're not supposed to go over the rail – because life is meant to be protected, not discarded.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
We plead not ourselves, but the promises of Jesus; not our strengths but His; our weaknesses yes, but His mercies. Our way of fighting is to hide behind Jesus who fights for us. Our hope is not the absence of our regret, or misery or doubt or lament, but the presence of Jesus.
Zack Eswine (Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression)
Anyway, I think Florence and I noticed each other before the local train screeched to a halt at the 110th Street station, because as I boarded it felt as though we were supposed to step into the same car, and hold onto the same moist metal bar. My wishful hunch now seems confirmed by the way she's reading her Time magazine article next to me.
Zack Love (City Solipsism)
Are you happy, Zack?” I ask. A dangerous question. One I have no right to ask. I’m standing, my hand on the passenger door to the Suburban. He’s on the driver’s side, key in the lock. “I’m not sure I ever will be. Something’s missing. I don’t even know what it is, but I know I want it back in the worst possible way.
S.J. Harper (Reckoning (Fallen Siren, #2))
I’ve spent every minute of these past months trying to figure out why I feel the things I feel, and if there’s a way to put that into words, I won’t find it. I am who I am. I’ve never acted on less than that, and I never want to.
Zack Smedley (Deposing Nathan)
You see, Baci literally means 'kiss' in Italian so – I think you could fairly expect a chocolate or a non-chocolate kiss on every date.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
Dating someone exclusively for four months in New York is like four years in Anchorage.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Can I speak to Sayvyer, please?” “You’re looking for the savior? At 1:15 a.m.?” “No. her name’s Sayvyer.” “There’s no savior here. Especially not at 1:15 a.m.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
It is an act of faith and wisdom to be sad about sad things.
Zack Eswine (Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression)
Steve's throat swelled with tension as the intimacy of the moment became more tangible. He moved his eyes from the dark, reflective river, to the dark, reflective pupils in Diane's eyes. They seemed to quiver with tenderness - but then they would grow distant. He found himself continually surprised at the "aliveness" of the person standing just a foot away from him now. She wasn't inanimate: she would flinch if he pinched her, and answer if he asked her. And she was beautiful." -- From "The Grand Unified Story" -- a short story in Zack Love's Stories and Scripts: an Anthology
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
As Narc became busier at work, he developed a bold new dating philosophy. His idea of a perfect first date was doggy-style, followed by a cup of coffee. He just didn’t have the time or patience for anything resembling conventional courtship patterns and felt too depressed to be the charming smooth talker that he had once been.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
There comes a time in most of our lives in which we no longer have the strength to lift ourselves out or to pretend ourselves strong. Sometimes our minds want to break because life stomped on us and God didn’t stop it. Like
Zack Eswine (Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression)
Strong introverts crave alone time (I-time) as if it were oxygen in the lungs for survival. I can become short of breath from inadequate alone time. I-time is non-negotiable for a high-functioning introvert. Without I-time, an introvert can suffer from distraction, imbalance, exhaustion, and irritability.
Devora Zack (Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected)
Love?" Heeb asked, playfully pretending not to know the concept. "Yeah. The real thing. The conviction that if you had this one woman, all other women would become irrelevant. You'd never again be unhappy. And you'd give up anything to have her and keep her." *Evan*
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
That being in love can change almost anything: from your expectations and limitations to your very life plans. It's a completely unpredictable force. And how it operates within any particular relationship is a total mystery to anyone outside of that relationship.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Actually, I came because I have a last-minute invitation. My friend Erika Gill is having a big party tomorrow night, one of those all-out birthday bashes that girls like. Want to go?" ---------------------------------------- "No. Sorry." "Since it's a catered thing, at a restaurant, I'll pick you up at- what did you say?" "I'm sorry. I can't do it." ---------------------------------------- "You're busy?" "I just can't do it," I said.
Elizabeth Chandler (The Back Door of Midnight (Dark Secrets, #5))
His hand gently caressed my leg as his lips nibbled on mine, and the tip of his tongue began asking permission, teasing me with short licks of my tongue that suggested so much more. I could feel myself breathing more heavily, until he slowly pulled away. “We still have a film to watch,” he whispered with a wink, before settling back into his seat.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
Indeed, wounded loved can make for fierce vengeance. And, from what I know of Anissa, it does seem a bit out of character for her to behave so spitefully, so I'd like to think that she really is just deeply hurt, angry and looking for some way to injure me back...I hope she knows how well she's succeeded.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
There are definitely some hos on this campus,” she began. “And plenty more in this city. And the fact that you're so different from those types only makes it that much more likely that you'll fetch a nice figure on eBay for the popping of your cherry,” she joked suggestively.
Zack Love (The Syrian Virgin (The Syrian Virgin, #1))
Why are you so angry at me?” she asked. The question ratcheted him even closer to the boiling point. “Because for some insane reason, I adore you. For three solid years I have thought you were the closest thing to perfection on this earth, and I can’t watch you risk your life crossing that bridge!” Had she understood correctly? After all these years of cold decorum, Zack’s eyes glittered in a face streaked with soot and sweat as he stepped closer, shouting over the roar of wind and fire. “I’ve been insane about you since the moment you waltzed into my office three years ago in that ridiculous suit and your hair as prim as a schoolmarm,” he shouted. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed on me now!
Elizabeth Camden (Into the Whirlwind)
Any relationship with long-term potential has a honeymoon period, however brief, marked by the happy illusion that one's lover might be uniquely perfect. This fool's paradise is sustained by the elaborate deception artfully employed in every courtship: the diplomatic dodging of difficult issues, the careful concealing of unflattering flaws, and the strategic stressing of charming virtues. But as trust increases and each person grows weary of maintaining this initial beguilement, the blissfully blurry lens through which the other is perceived eventually refocuses to a clearer picture.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
Summer sticks to her skirt sumptuously, in the shiny gray fabric hanging loosely from her curves. Her chestnut eyes, apparently hidden from strangers; her simple but graceful face, unpainted by Madison Avenue; and her straight black hair, parted down the middle without ego, all suggest a minimalist - almost pastoral - beauty that is oddly discordant with her fashionable attire, comfortable indifference to the crowds, and quasi-attentive perusal of the Time magazine unfolded over her hand.
Zack Love (City Solipsism)
If you’re going to build a strong culture, it’s paramount to make diversity one of your core values. This is what separates Bridgewater’s strong culture from a cult: The commitment is to promoting dissent. In hiring, instead of using similarity to gauge cultural fit, Bridgewater assesses cultural contribution.* Dalio wants people who will think independently and enrich the culture. By holding them accountable for dissenting, Dalio has fundamentally altered the way people make decisions. In a cult, core values are dogma. At Bridgewater, employees are expected to challenge the principles themselves. During training, when employees learn the principles, they’re constantly asked: Do you agree? “We have these standards that are stress tested over time, and you have to either operate by them or disagree with them and fight for better ones,” explains Zack Wieder, who works with Dalio on codifying the principles. Rather than deferring to the people with the greatest seniority or status, as was the case at Polaroid, decisions at Bridgewater are based on quality. The goal is to create an idea meritocracy, where the best ideas win. To get the best ideas on the table in the first place, you need radical transparency. Later, I’m going to challenge some of Dalio’s principles, but first I want to explain the weapons he has used to wage a war on groupthink.
Adam M. Grant (Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World)
Summoning my inner Kojak, I tried to convince myself that she would have sat next to me even had there been somewhere else on the bus to sit. Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job of self-persuasion. Good thing I wasn't in court suing myself, because I would have lost. From: "My Best Valentine's Day.Ever: A Short Story
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
Night had fallen, and Diane admired the deep sky behind Steve's calm countenance. They looked into each other's eyes again and felt the spark and excitement of discovery. As if to celebrate the perfect, life-enabling distance of the earth from the sun, Diane and Steve kissed again." "-The Grand Unified Story (a Short Story) from Stories and Scripts: an Anthology
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
But the fantasy kingdom and trappings of success soon lost their luster, as I discovered that the most prestigious and remunerative of my resume's way stations was also the most tedious and unfulfilling I had ever experienced. This paradox only made me more morose about modernity. Why was I going to watch my hairline recede in front of two-thousand-line spreadsheets staring at me from cold, glowing monitors? Why was everyone in my office apparently so happy to be spending so many hours there, when the things they really cared about - people, pets, pastimes - were all relegated to a few photographs on their desks? That seemed to be the formula: spend the best years of your life in an office with photos of what you really care about.
Zack Love (The Doorman)
So...Now that we got that over with, let's get back to love at first sight, Evan said. Not infatuation at first sight...Love. With a capital L, he clarified. Love? Heeb asked, playfully pretending not to know the concept. Yeah. The real thing. The conviction that if you had this one woman, all other women would become irrelevant. You'd never again be unhappy And you'd give up anything to have her and keep her. You've experienced that? Only once. And I haven't stopped thinking about it ever since. Tell me more. Sometimes I think that I still chase women just to forget about her. Because I know I can never have her. But I can't seem to forget about her, no matter what girl I'm chasing...No one can possibly compare.... Who is she? Delilah, Evan said wistfully. Delilah?, asked Heeb, intrigued Delilah Nakova, Evan replied, with a hint of awe and reverence in his voice.
Zack Love (Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC (Back When Phones Weren't So Smart))
At one point, I began to think that I had a divine doorman. Lenny was the most unlikely incarnation of God I could imagine, and yet, I kept drifting irresistibly towards this absurd conclusion. Despite my staunchly atheistic inclinations, I couldn't explain Lenny any other way. But eventually I came to my senses and realized that he was just one of those game show freaks with an encyclopedic memory. That didn't make him God, did it? Would God proclaim so regularly how much he likes Patsy's Pizza?
Zack Love (Stories and Scripts: an Anthology)
You know what you need?” “What?” “You need to think about what a badass bald man would do in this situation” “There are no badass bald men. By definition.” “What about Dwight D. Eisenhower?” Carlos suggested. “President Eisenhower?” “Doesn’t he qualify as a badass?” Carlos insisted. “Look, he may have been president, but he doesn’t exactly come to people’s minds when you ask them to think of a badass.” “All right. How about Kojak?” Carlos asked. “That police detective show with Telly Savalas?” Sammy asked. “Yeah, Kojak. He was a badass. Always cool under pressure.” “All right,” Sammy replied. “Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that Kojak was a bald badass. So what?’ “So you have to imagine how Kojak would deal with this situation we have in front of us. He wouldn’t be worried about whether this girl digs bald guys. He would just walk right up to her, knowing that he’s a badass and just take care of business. You see, it’s all in the delivery.” “The delivery?” “Yeah, the execution
Zack Love