Hope Quotes

“One minute I feel whole and strong, and the next minute I feel like I am breaking.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“When I stand in front of the mirror, I look the same, just a lot thinner. My family and friends would know me in a second, but I’m a different person now. I was never sad before.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“But our story is not just about rape and chains, lies and misery. That was Ariel Castro’s world. Our story is about overcoming all that.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“She lives not as a victim, but as a survivor. Her insurmountable will to prevail is the only story worth discussing.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Even if he was a victim, he had the power to choose.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Life is better with Jocelyn here.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“After what I’ve been through, I can face anything.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“When we have so little, it’s easy to get jealous over even the smallest things.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I don’t want him to get away with it. I need to outlast him.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Castro told them that he wanted to “do my time in peace.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Castro stood, and bailiffs led him out a side door of the courtroom. It was the last time he would ever be seen in public.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“To Ariel Castro’s family, we are saddened that you are burdened with this horror and will unfortunately forever be tied to these atrocities. Please know that we do not hold you accountable and pray that you can one day be whole again. Continue to love and support one another—we promise you that with this recipe you will be triumphant. “Our family recognizes it is not for us to judge or determine any punishment. Only a higher power can do that.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“The impact of these crimes on our family is something that we do not want to discuss with people we don’t know,” Beth told the judge. “Even if I wanted to talk about it, it is impossible to put into words. For me, I lost my sister for all those years and thought it was forever. And we lost my mother forever. And she died not knowing. . . . It is impossible to put into words how much it hurts. “Amanda is not here today. She is strong, beautiful, inside and out, and is doing better every day. She’s not just my only sister, but the best friend I have and the best person I know. She does not want to talk about these things. She has not talked about these things even with me. “The main reason she does not want anyone to talk about these things, or be forced to talk about these things, is because she has a daughter. She would like to be the person who decides what to tell her daughter, when to tell her daughter, and how to tell her daughter certain things.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I would tell your mom I’m sorry. But I wouldn’t take any of this back. I would do it all over again because of Pretty.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“She had been having a recurring dream that she was sure was a sign that she was right. In the dream, Nancy would walk by Gina’s school and see her daughter eating lunch, sitting on the grass and leaning against the building, smiling and waving at her.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“She wondered if her father was struggling to tell her that she had a new sister. “Is that your kid?” she finally asked. “She looks a lot like Emily.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“feel sorry for him. I’m grateful that he went out of his way today to make us happy. I have never felt closer to him than I do at this moment.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“She’s also learned my real name. One day she saw the gold necklace that I wear sometimes that has a charm with my name on it. She sounded it out: “A . . . man . . . da,” and asked, “Is that your name?” “Yes, but you can’t say anything to Daddy,” I told her. “That will be our secret, okay?” “Okay, Mommy,” she said, hugging me.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I just found a strange-looking bag in the freezer and asked what it was, and he told me it was my placenta! I couldn’t believe it. He keeps everything. He said he was afraid that if he threw it away, the garbage men might see it and get suspicious.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“He’s obsessed with making the house look normal so the neighbors don’t suspect anything. The people on one side are from Puerto Rico, and he’s always speaking Spanish with them. Usually on summer days he’s out in the yard or the garage working, so he says they might think something is strange if the garage door stays closed for days at a time. He doesn’t miss a detail.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“As we make our way across the backyard in the dark I realize it’s the first time I’ve been outside in a year and a half.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“He doesn’t make mistakes. I’m so worried the police and FBI will never figure it out. He seems like a nice, normal, middle-aged, friendly guy. He doesn’t look crazy.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I hope the police notice all the connections we have to him and his kids.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Some days it’s easy. Others, not.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I have noticed something interesting about myself over the past year: I’m becoming less afraid of life.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“Before I was kidnapped, I would have thought: What bad luck that my first flight was so horrible. Now, after learning to focus on the positive, I think: What good luck that we landed safely.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“This is how I am rebuilding my life, one page at a time, one day at a time.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“he’s been living this lie for so long that he actually believes it.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“I guess people can’t keep hoping for a miracle forever.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

“It’s going to be hard to explain how fear paralyzes you.”
― Amanda Berry, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland