"...we accept the love we think we deserve."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"I would die for you. But I won't live for you."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"...And I thought about how many people have loved those songs. And how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. I think it would be great to have written one of those songs. I bet if I wrote one of them, I would be very proud. I hope the people who wrote those songs are happy. I hope they feel it's enough. I really do because they've made me happy. And I'm only one person. "
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"I walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"It's just that I don't want to be somebody's crush. If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it too."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"We didn't talk about anything heavy or light. We were just there together. And that was enough
"
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"It was the kind of kiss that made
me know that I was never so happy in my whole life."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"and all the books you’ve read have been ready by other people. and all the songs you’ve loved have been heard by other people. and that girl that’s pretty to you is pretty to other people. and you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing “unity.” "
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"Everyone else is either asleep or having sex. I've been watching cable television and eating jello."
— Stephen Chbosky

"And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter."
— Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

"I am not sad, he would repeat to himself over and over, I am not sad. As if he might one day convince himself. Or fool himself. Or convince others -- The only thing worse than being sad is for others to know that you are sad."
— Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated)

"I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together, in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane. "
— John Green (Looking for Alaska)