The Things We Never Say Quotes

“He had said something like, "why don't people ever say anything real?" And now he knew why. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand. It was a private thing to be alive. He understood this now.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“SO BLIND WE humans are—so blind. To each other and to ourselves, moving through life as though through shadows, putting out a hand in the dark and thinking we have touched someone. And maybe we have, as Artie did with Rhonda Lazarre that day. But mostly we travel through life unsighted, grasping only the smallest details of one another’s selves, including our own. Thinking all the while that we can see.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible. —Carl Jung”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“No one is superior to anyone else in this world.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“And now he knew why. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand. It was a private thing, to be alive. He understood this now.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“his study of history, he had learned about the leaders, and the various groups involved, but he had somehow missed this fact about every single person: that they held within themselves a vast, unknowable universe. And he understood that it could make a person lonely; people had to take and give to one another whatever they could. If it was not enough…Well, then it meant one just had to be a grownup.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“So blind we humans are—so blind. To each other and to ourselves, moving through life as though through shadows, putting out a hand in the dark and thinking we have touched someone. And maybe we have . . . But mostly we travel through life unsighted, grasping only the smallest details of one another’s selves, including our own. Thinking all the while that we can see.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“People die of loneliness. It happens all the time. And he thought: Yes, that was correct. People do die of loneliness, and I am—or will be—one of them.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Artie watched all these things, and he slowly understood that what he had felt the day of the election was true: His country was committing suicide.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“So blind we humans are—so blind. To each other and to ourselves”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“All of us live with a huge blind spot before our eyes”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Loneliness does not come from having no people about one”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“To say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“And honestly? I think, even for citizens, I can see a time when due process just no longer exists. For any of us. Here.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Everything, Artie sat forward as he realized this, everything in the world seemed to him to be filled with unspoken truths. Evelyn Peabody trying to kill herself. Artie himself having thought about such a thing for those few months. All the things in the world that people did not know about one another. Even those very close to them.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“As Artie slowly recalled these memories, it came to him that it did not (really) matter to him that Ken supported the next president (except that it did). Mostly Artie was surprised. He felt the old sadness of what (he thought) was going to happen to the country. And he was surprised at how different people could be. Ken was the opposite of an evil person, and yet the country was headed in a terrible direction, Artie was certain of this. But Ken—and Artie shook his head slowly—was such a good and decent man.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“he had said something like “Why don’t people ever say anything real?” And now he knew why. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“the”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“he thought of his last few months. As he thought about this, he understood: I did not want to die, I just did not want to live.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Artie’s secret was this: For more than two months, he had been thinking how to kill himself without his wife or son (or students) knowing that he had done so.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“but he had somehow missed this fact about every single person: that they held within themselves a vast, unknowable universe.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“All of us live with a huge blind spot before our eyes, meaning that no matter what we think we know we can never fully understand how we appear to others.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“It was a private thing, to be alive.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Why don’t people ever say anything real?” And now he knew why. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“I’m looking for God when I play.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“How do you know I will, Mr. Dam? I’m me—I’m different.” She looked straight at him as she said this. “You are you, Rhonda. You are authentically you. To be different can be hard, but it’s a wonderful thing to find someone as authentic as you are.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“The red splotches on Danny’s face increased. “Seriously?” Artie just looked at him. “Okay, well, thanks, Mr. Dam.” “You’re entirely welcome.” As they stood up Artie said, “Have a good Christmas,” and Danny said, “Yeah, I’ll try.” Artie tapped his own forehead. “Remember to keep all the fuck yous right up here. Think them if you need to, but keep them up here.” “Yeah, yeah, okay, I will.” Danny gave a small laugh, and then he said, “Hey, you do that too,” and Artie laughed loudly and said, “Okay, we have a deal.” As Danny left the room he turned around and said to Artie, “You have a good Christmas as well.” Artie said, “I’ll try.” And for those few seconds as they stood looking at each other—to Artie’s way of thinking—there was a real sense of communion between them.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“In his study of history, he had learned about the leaders, and the various groups involved, but he had somehow missed this fact about every single person: that they held within themselves a vast, unknowable universe.”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Going to my fate, he thought. Just going to my fate, that’s all I can do. *”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say

“Why don’t people ever say anything real?” And now he knew why. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand. It was a private thing, to be alive. He understood this now. * * *”
― Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say