quotes by Neal Shusterman

"Stupid dreams. Even the good ones are bad, because they remind you how poorly reality measures up."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"Sure, I can talk like you, but I choose not to, It's like an art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he could paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes on the side of a face... See if you paint wrong because that's the best you can do, you just a chump. But you do it because you want to? Then you're an artist...You can take that to the grave and dig it up when you need it."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"...One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"'You can't change laws without first changing human nature.'
-Nurse Greta

'You can't change human nature without first changing the law.'
-Nurse Yvonne"
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"'Statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless.'"
— Neal Shusterman

"This book is so interesting. I always wonder what's going to happen next."
— Neal Shusterman (Everlost)

"In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"I always hear people talk about 'dysfunctional families.' It annoys me, because it makes you think that somewhere there's this magical family where everyone gets along, and no one ever screams things they don't mean, and there's never a time when sharp objects should be hidden. Well, I'm sorry, but that family doesn't exist. And if you find some neighbors that seem to be the grinning model of 'function,' trust me - that's the family that will get arrested for smuggling arms in their SUV between soccer games.

The best you can really hope for is a family where everyone's problems, big and small, work together. Kind of like an orchestra where every instrument is out of tune, in exactly the same way, so you don't really notice."
— Neal Shusterman (Antsy Does Time)

"They were the screams of riders torn apart by the twisted reflections of their own inner selves."
— Neal Shusterman (Full Tilt)

"Normally Connor would walk away from a conversation like this. His life is about tangibles: things you can see, hear and touch. God, souls, and all that has always been like a secret in a black box he couldn't see into, so it was easier just to leave it alone. Only now, he's inside the black box."
— Neal Shusterman

"In this world, there is a fine line between enlightenment and brain damage."
— Neal Shusterman (Antsy Does Time)

"I think all mothers are alike, regardless of cultural background, when it comes to illogical cleaning."
— Neal Shusterman (Antsy Does Time)

""You...you lost your faith?"
"No...just my convictions. I still very much believe in God- just not a god who condones human tithing."
Lev begins to feel himself choking up with an unexpected flood of feeling, all the emotions that had been building up throughout their talk- throughout the weeks- arriving all at once like a sonic boom. "I never knew there was a choice.""
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have—people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"His life has been like a ballpark, hasn't it? All lines, structure, and rules, never changing. But now he's been hit over the wall into unknown territory."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"What he's really saying is: Please be a human being. With a life so full of rules and regiments, it's so easy to forget that's what they are. She knows—she sees—how often compassion takes a back seat to expediency."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

"You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

""Maybe, maybe not. One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light""
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

" "I gotta go to the bathroom," Emby mumbles.
"You should have thought of that before you left," says Hayden, putting on his best mother voice. "How many times do we have to tell you? Always use the potty before climbing into a shipping crate."
— Neal Shusterman (Unwind)