The Summer of Yes Quotes

“Because times change. People change. ‘Life moves pretty fast. And if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“But then it occurs to me where one lives so often determines how one lives. Am I living in the right place?”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“Ravi’s grandma reaches over and squeezes my hand, as if she senses that I’m on the precipice of a revelation and need a little push to let myself fly.
“Be fearless, mera priya,” she says. “The world needs your voice.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“sometimes you gotta wade through uncomfortable things to get to the payoff.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“there’s just something about a lighthouse. A single light can cut straight through the darkness and guide a lost sailor home.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“It’s a wild and precious life, Kelsey. If you have something that sets your soul on fire, you have a responsibility to chase that thing.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“I believe if something makes you happy, it’s not a waste of time.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“I think you have to find the things that fulfill you. Energize you. No matter what life you make for yourself, find some margin for those kinds of things.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“It’s not work that’s kept me from living my life. It’s fear. Work was just my excuse.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“The universe sends disruptors along when we’ve gotten into a pattern that’s too comfortable,”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“Regrets are more in focus when hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“He never asked me to be anything other than who I am. Why didn’t I recognize what a gift that was before it was too late?”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“Somehow, when he looks at me, it’s like he already sees more of who I am than anyone else in my life, and for a fleeting moment I think it would be nice to be known, truly known, by another person.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“Maybe this is something I need to write for myself. It’s processing things the best way I know how. Nobody will ever see these words, so it’s safe to write it all down any way I see fit. Not for public consumption. Not to be judged. Just for me. Now, with the words out of my brain and onto the page, my mind’s machine whirs to a halt and goes quiet. And for the first time in years . . . I feel like I’m alive again.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“After a beat, she says, “I wish I'd said yes more.” She looks away. "To the fun things of life, you know? I always chose work over everything. It suited me. But it cost me too. Nothing comes without a cost, young lady, and only you can decide if you're willing to pay it." The moment, and what feels like my entire life, hangs there, frozen in time, like someone hits pause on the DVR. She is a picture of what my future could be. Is it worth it?”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“Words change everything.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“It’s funny. He doesn’t feel like a stranger at all anymore.
And thinking about it, I realize he never did.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes

“My eyes are wide open to the sights, sounds, and smells around me. The world is bright and colorful. It’s tinged with sweet and spicy. It’s loud and vibrant, and I’ve been walking around like Dorothy before she lands in Oz—settling for faded black and white. I internally narrate my revelation, the way I would if I were sitting behind my computer, and I’m struck by how long it’s been since I’ve heard my own voice. It’s so easy to silence.”
― Courtney Walsh, The Summer of Yes