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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
T.J. Klune
Read between
May 8 - May 10, 2023
He’d accepted long ago that some people, no matter how good their heart was or how much love they had to give, would always be alone.
“They fear what they don’t understand. And that fear turns to hate for reasons I’m sure even they can’t begin to comprehend. And since they don’t understand the children, since they fear them, they hate them.
“It’s the little things. Little treasures we find without knowing their origin. And they come when we least expect them. It’s beautiful, when you think about it.
“Sometimes,” Mr. Parnassus said, “our prejudices color our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognize that, and learn from it, we can become better people.
Because even the bravest of us can still be afraid sometimes, so long as we don’t let our fear become all we know.”
“Arthur says that we should always make time for the things we like,” Talia said. “If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy. Are you not happy, Mr. Baker?”
Because I would rather be home than anywhere else at all.” That was truer now than it’d ever been before.
“Home is where you feel like yourself,” Ms. Chapelwhite said, and Linus could only agree. “It’s the same for us, isn’t it, children? Home is where we get to be who we are.”
“The world is a weird and wonderful place. Why must we try and explain it all away? For our personal satisfaction?”
Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.
And I refuse to believe that a person’s path is set in stone. A person is more than where they come from.”
“The things we fear the most are often the things we should fear the least. It’s irrational, but it’s what makes us human. And if we’re able to conquer those fears, then there is nothing we’re not capable of.”
no one deserves to be made to feel lesser than they are.”
Just because you don’t experience prejudice in your everyday doesn’t stop it from existing for the rest of us.”
“Humanity is so weird. If we’re not laughing, we’re crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don’t even have to be real monsters. They could be the ones we make up in our heads. Don’t you think that’s weird?” “I suppose. But I’d rather be that way than the alternative.” “Which is?” “Not feeling anything at all.” Linus looked away.
“Hope,” Mr. Parnassus repeated. “Because that is what we must give him, what we must give all of them. Hope and guidance and a place to call their own, a home where they can be who they are without fear of repercussion.”
How can we fight prejudice if we do nothing to change it? If we allow it to fester, what’s the point?”
As long as you listen, you can hear all manner of things you never thought were there to begin with.
But we must pick and choose our fights. Just because someone else acts a certain way, doesn’t mean we should respond in kind. It’s what makes us different. It’s what makes us good.”
Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.”
“A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with. You may not live on the island, but you can’t tell me it’s not your home. Your bubble, Mr. Baker. It’s been popped. Why would you allow it to grow around you again?”
People can present themselves as being one way, and once you’re sure you know them, once you’re sure you’ve found what you’re looking for, they reveal themselves for who they really are.
“It’s not fair.” “No. It’s not. Life rarely is. But we deal with it the best we can. And we allow ourselves to hope for the best. Because a life without hope isn’t a life lived at all.”
