The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

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.

And I could see this boy at home doing his homework and thinking about my sister naked.

“Listen, you either call me Patrick, or you call me nothing.”

“This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.”

And I had never felt that good in my life. But I also felt bad because I saw her naked without her permission.

They just like somebody that can give them a purpose.”

“The thing is some girls think they can actually change guys. And what’s funny is that if they actually did change them, they’d get bored. They’d have no challenge left.

It’s just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”

“Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve.” I just stood there, quiet. Bill patted my shoulder and gave me a new book to read. He told me everything was going to be okay.

“Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it’s no excuse.”

Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and we felt young in a good way.

I ate the brownie, and it tasted a little weird, but it was still a brownie, so I still liked it. But this was not an ordinary brownie. Since you are older, I think you know what kind of brownie it was.

“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.”

And in that moment, I swear we were infinite. Love always, Charlie

It’s like he would take a photograph of Sam, and the photograph would be beautiful. And he would think that the reason the photograph was beautiful was because of how he took it. If I took it, I would know that the only reason it’s beautiful is because of Sam.

I love Twinkies, and the reason I am saying that is because we are all supposed to think of reasons to live.

More like the movie where the guy meets a smart girl who wears a lot of sweaters and drinks cocoa. They talk about books and issues and kiss in the rain. I think something like that would be very good for him, especially if the girl were unconventionally beautiful. They are the best kind of girls, I think. I personally find “super models” strange. I don’t know why this is.

Maybe these are my glory days, and I’m not even realizing it because they don’t involve a ball.

First, I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.

I thought about him going into my mom’s room when she was little and hitting my mom and holding up her report card and saying that her bad grades would never happen again. And I think now that maybe he meant my older brother. Or my sister. Or me. That he would make sure that he was the last one to work in a mill.

I don’t know if it’s better to be close with your daughter or make sure that she has a better life than you do.

I don’t think we should base so much on weight, muscles, and a good hair day, but when it happens, it’s nice. It really is.

On that piece of white paper, Sam wrote, “Write about me sometime.” And I typed something back to her, standing right there in her bedroom. I just typed. “I will.”

“I want to make sure that the first person you kiss loves you. Okay?”

I was looking at the old photographs, I started thinking that there was a time when these weren’t memories. That someone actually took that photograph, and the people in the photograph had just eaten lunch or something.

She would be alive if I were born on a day that didn’t snow.

I don’t know if you’ve ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist.

all the books you’ve read have been read by other people. And all the songs you’ve loved have been heard by other people.

It was weird to have them pay so much attention to me.

I try to remind myself when I feel great like this that there will be another terrible week coming someday, so I should store up as many great details as I can, so during the next terrible week, I can remember those details and believe that I’ll feel great again.

“This is not a time for heroes because nobody will let that happen.”

It was especially fun to think that people all over the world were having similar conversations in their equivalent of the Big Boy.

He even let me smoke a cigarette in his office, but he urged me to quit smoking because of the health risks.

I wish I could stop being in love with Sam. I really do.

“and even if she says no, and really means yes, then quite frankly she’s playing games and isn’t worth the price of dinner.”

And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don’t really want to be exposed to all these great things if it means that I’ll have to hear Mary Elizabeth talk about all the great things she exposed me to all the time.

She also said that people who try to control situations all the time are afraid that if they don’t, nothing will work out the way they want.

I know that I brought this all on myself. I know that I deserve this. I’d do anything not to be this way. I’d do anything to make it up to everyone.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep going without a friend. I used to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend was like.

But because things change. And friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody.

“So, I heard you’re this ninja or something.”

I have no idea who thinks of these things or why, except that the senior prank is supposed to signify the end of school. What this has to do with a grape pool is beyond me, but I was very happy not to have gym.

“I would die for you. But I won’t live for you.”

I’m just lucky that I have so much schoolwork and don’t have a lot of time to think.

I wasn’t happy about Craig and Sam breaking up. Not at all. I never once thought that it would mean Sam might start liking me. All I cared about was the fact that Sam got really hurt. 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.

“Charlie, do you know how smart you are?”

“Charlie, you’re one of the most gifted people I’ve ever known.

I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason I’m telling you is that I don’t know if anyone else ever has.”

you can always come to me as a friend. I do consider you a friend, Charlie.”

was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think everyone is special in their own way. I really do.