Don't Let Me Go Quotes

“[Grace talking to Billy.] "It's like people who want to feel only happy but not sad," she said. "It never works. You either feel things or you don't. You don't get to pick and choose. At least, I don't think so.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“The people with the least to give always give the most. Haven’t you noticed that?”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“It’s just words. How can words be dangerous?”
“You have a lot to learn about the world, baby girl. Nothing is more dangerous than words.”
“That’s stupid. What about a gun? A gun can kill you dead.”
“Only your body,” Billy said. “It can’t kill your soul. Words can kill your soul.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“See, this is why I was by myself all those years. Because as soon as you let people in, they start depending on you. And then, if you can’t be everything they think you should be, you’ve let them down. It’s easier not to have anybody around at all.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Accepting things. That’s what the talk was about. About how insane it is to try to pretend something isn’t a certain way, or that you can make it another way, just because you don’t like it.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“it gets to be an addiction. You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Hard work can sometimes substitute for natural ability, but natural ability almost never makes up for not being willing to do the work.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“[Rayleen talking to Billy.] "Grace is thriving here, and I dare anybody to challenge that. Anybody who has a problem with that can come take it up with me."
"Thank God," Billy said, "because I really hate it when people come take things up with ME.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“That’s stupid. What about a gun? A gun can kill you dead.” “Only your body,” Billy said. “It can’t kill your soul. Words can kill your soul.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Addict logic,” Yolanda said, not missing a beat. “Life viewed through resentment.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Like I told you before, it gets to be an addiction. You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“It’s like people who want to feel only happy but not sad,” she said. “It never works. You either feel things or you don’t. You don’t get to pick and choose. At least, I don’t think so.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“I just want to tell you I’ll always find you. You might not be able to find me, but I know how to find you. So, wherever I go, if I do, which I hope I don’t, but if I do, and Rayleen can’t get me back again…cause, you know, I keep saying she can, but every time I say it everybody looks a little green and funny, so if maybe that doesn’t work out, just remember I’ll always find you, even if I have to grow up to be eighteen first. Cause you’re my very best friend.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Lots of people don’t do life any more. They just stop at some point. And once you stop, it’s really hard to get started again. But then, once you get started again, it’s kind of hard to stop.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“t's like people who want to feel only happy but not sad," she said. "It never works. You either feel things or you don't. You don't get to pick and choose..”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Like I told you before, it gets to be an addiction. You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now. That’s what your mom is doing. And that’s what got me. There’s really quite a lot of it going around.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“My father taught me not to look down on nobody, not to think bad about nobody. Except assholes. He said it’s OK to be prejudiced against assholes, because nobody has to be an asshole. It’s voluntary.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“There are all manner of things that scare us at some point in our lives, but then later we find out they really never meant to hurt us anyway.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“I told you before, it gets to be an addiction. You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now. That’s what your mom is doing. And that’s what got me. There’s really quite a lot of it going around.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“If I sit inside, then nobody will know I’m in trouble. And so then nobody will help me.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“The hard work is the lion’s share of the battle. Hard work can sometimes substitute for natural ability, but natural ability almost never makes up for not being willing to do the work.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now. That’s what your mom is doing. And that’s what got me. There’s really quite a lot of it going around.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“Who knows why people are scared of things, right? If”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“It’s just that this might be the last train to happy. And you want to make sure to get on it.” Felipe”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“You have to dance especially at a time like this. That’s the whole point. The dancing will bring you back into the moment. It’s the dance that will save you.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“You want to be OK right now, so you trade that for having a good life in the long run. It’s a bad trade, but people do it all the time. That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now. That’s what your mom is doing. And that’s what got me. There’s really quite a lot of it going around.” Billy”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go

“But when I was inside, I was always OK. So I just started staying inside. Like I told you before, it gets to be an addiction.”
― Catherine Ryan Hyde, Don't Let Me Go