Elizabeth Langston > Elizabeth's Quotes

“I think if you love somebody, and know you want to be with them forever, it doesn't matter how it starts, just so long as it doesn't end.”
― Mary Ann Rivers, Laugh

“I think it must be one of those things where no one’s wrong and everybody loses.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“I loved his strength and determination. I loved how much pleasure he got from doing things right. I loved that life was better simply because he was around.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“You don’t look like a genie."
"Palazzo pants and sequined vests don’t cut it in the United States.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“Obviously, genies worked out in their off-hours. He looked so good it was distracting.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“My mother sat motionless at the kitchen table, her head cradled on one arm, the other extended toward her ever-present coffee mug. This was going to be another of her bad days.
It was hard to pinpoint when I’d given up hope that she would pull herself together--that me being in charge would be a temporary thing. But too many months had passed with nothing changing, except somewhere along the way I’d stopped feeling sympathy for her. Or anger. It was easier to not feel anything where my mother was concerned because then I could never be let down.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“Why did things have to get so backwards in our house? Since she couldn’t be the adult, I knew that it had to be me. But that didn’t stop me from hating it--from wishing it was just over. I’d give anything to be a kid again and not to be the responsible one in the house. It was like I was trapped in a horrible virtual-reality game, except there was no way for me to quit.”
― Elizabeth Langston, I Wish

“We could’ve been a still photo, the kind from a booth at the mall where two dollars went in and a strip of three shots came out. Our image wasn’t the first shot, the one that was always frantic and unfocused. It wasn’t the second shot either--laughing and silly. No, this was the final image--the serious shot--where the couple realized they wanted a good picture to remember the moment by and couldn’t afford to screw the last one up.”
― Elizabeth Langston

“There it was again, that strange sensation. Sort of floaty. Completely lovely. “Why aren’t we kissing yet?”

“The same question had crossed my mind.” He leaned closer and pressed his lips to mine.

I could never get enough of this sweet, crazy kissing. How did anyone ever get anything done when they were falling in love?”
― Elizabeth Langston

“His arm slid around my shoulders and drew me to him. It was odd, sitting there under the veil of darkness, watching the neighborhood settle down. Lamps burned in windows. TVs flickered. A few houses down, the rhythmic thud of a basketball on concrete and muffled laughter alerted us to the only other people outside on this glorious fall night.

“This is a perfect date,” I said.

He tensed. “You’d call it a date?”

“Sure. You wouldn’t?”

He looked down at me, his eyes glittering in the faint light. “I thought American girls liked more formality in a date.”

“More money is what you mean.” I smiled. “It’s a date. Don’t argue with me.”

“I never do.”
― Elizabeth Langston

“A book was mere paper splattered with ink until a reader’s mind gave it life.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Whisper Falls

“Friend. Before Mark, I’d known its definition. Now I knew its meaning.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Whisper Falls

“I knew a sudden shyness. There was a look on his face, a stillness to his body that had never been there before. Though I couldn’t give the emotion a name, I felt it, too. We had something special. Something hard to define. Something past friendship.

“I must go now,” I said and rose up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, marveling at its velvet skin. “Thank you for the book.”

He drew me into his embrace and sighed. “Thank you for the stars.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Whisper Falls

“I loved her in ways I understood, full of physical aches and the need to be near her whenever I could. But I also loved her in ways that were unfamiliar, with an intensity that made me willing to attempt the impossible.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Whisper Falls

“The better I know you, the more incredible you are.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Strange how knowing our story had no happy ending had freed us to live in the moment. We weren’t guy and girl. We weren’t damaged and terminal. We were just now.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Thanks for driving me home, Mason. And for dinner. And…everything.”
“You’re welcome.” His hand cupped my shoulder, his face in the shadows. “Was this a date?”
“No.”
His smile was a slash of white in the darkness. “Then you’re not expecting me to kiss you good-night.”
“No.” I smiled back.
“Too bad.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“What is the verdict?”

“There is always hope.” His face softened. “However, it’s unlikely your brain damage will improve.”

He’d given me the answer I’d expected and dreaded.

I shut my eyes and sagged into the pillows. I’d braced myself for this result, but I’d wanted a miracle so badly that it was painful to hear the truth.

Sunlight pressed in on me, trying to cheer me up. I would resist a moment longer. This room, the quilt, my closed eyes—they formed a serene barrier against the world, although it wasn’t clear to me if I wanted to keep the scary stuff out or the scared me in.”
― Elizabeth Langston

“I need to do something about college, but I’m not sure what.”

“Where have you decided to apply?”

“Nowhere yet. Any time I think about the schools I’ve visited, I feel overwhelmed. The campuses are so big that I know I’ll get lost. I dread making new friends. And the professors acted too busy to deal with someone like me. My parents will be wasting a huge amount of money.”

“Your fears are no different than most high school seniors.” He studied me thoughtfully. “Must you go to college?”

I opened my mouth to say Of course, I must—and then shut it again. The concept didn’t bother me nearly as much as it should have. Skipping college would be crazy. Right? It was hard enough for a disabled person to find a job, but being disabled with no degree would make it hopeless. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Perhaps you have more choices than you realize.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“What does Sara think about us?”

“She suspects that we’re dating.”

“You should tell her the truth.”

“I’ve been clear that you and I are just friends.”

“Does she believe it?”

“No, she can’t get why I’d want to spend a lot of time with you unless you were my girlfriend.” He shook his head in frustration. “I don’t care what anyone thinks about our relationship. We can make our own rules as long as we’re both comfortable with them. If we want to hug, we should. If we want to text each other at midnight, that’s okay too. Agreed?”

“Agreed. Our relationship, our rules.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Camarin and I are both baffled by the pleasure humans find with bowling. The noise is maddening, the equipment unsanitary, and the repetition boring.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Have you ever experienced human love?”

“Yes. Once.”

Regret shadowed his face. “Then why would you be willing to repeat it?”

“What we learn is worth more than what we lose.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Memory loss is strange. It’s like showing up for a movie after it’s started. I’m sure I’ve missed something. I don’t know if it’s important or not. So I do the best I can to lose myself in the story and hope the gaps don’t matter. Later, I can look it up, or someone will remind me, or maybe it’s perfectly fine to not know.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“May I kiss you?”

Finally. “Yes.”

He smiled as he threaded his fingers through my hair. Carefully, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
His mouth was warm and gentle against my skin, but it wasn’t enough. “Please tell me that wasn’t what you meant.”

He laughed softly. “There’s more.” He kissed my cheek, my jaw, and hovered a fraction above my mouth.

I ached for his kiss, and when the waiting stretched too long, I closed the distance.

He took over, which was just as well, because I forgot where I was or the time or my name. The only thing in the world was his mouth. That kiss. Us.”
― Elizabeth Langston, Wishing for You

“Can you tell me how a meltdown feels?”

She tilted her head to stare at the ceiling. “Itchy. And bad. You get so mad at yourself, because you know the thing that set you off isn’t worth the reaction you’re having, but you can’t control it. It’s like . . . knocking over a cup of tea. It goes everywhere, staining as it spreads, but you can’t take it back. You just have to get over yourself and mop up the mess.”
― Julia Day

“Are the kids at school mean?”

“Not mean, exactly. I’d say that the way they treat me is peculiar. More like I’m a zoo animal than a person.” A fist bounced against her leg. “I figured it out when I was visiting a primates exhibit once. People were staring at the gorilla, wondering what he would do next, hoping to be fascinated or creeped out. When he did something gross, they gasped and leaned closer. But when nothing more happened, they got bored and walked off.” The fist-thumping ended. “All the gorilla wanted was to be left alone. Instead, he was caged and made to entertain people against his will. I felt sorry for him until I reaized the cage protected him. Then I was jealous.”
― Julia Day

“Of course, evil could be attractive. What better way to deceive?”
― Elizabeth Langston, Whisper Falls

“No place is safe if built on a foundation of hatred.”
― Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf