The Swallows Quotes

“You can keep telling girls to be polite, to keep a level head and it’ll all work out in the end. But don’t be surprised when they figure out that you’ve been feeding them lies.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“Shame is cunning,” Ms. Witt said. “Even if the feeling doesn’t come from a rational place, it sticks. But that doesn’t mean it’s real.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“You can keep telling girls to be polite, to keep a level head and it’ll all work out in the end. But don’t be surprised when they figure out that you’ve been feeding them lies. Don’t be alarmed when they grow tired of using their voices and playing by your rules. And don’t be shocked when they decide that if they can’t win a fair fight, they’ll just have to fight dirty.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind,”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“I trust no one, not even myself.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“Moby-Dick for Nothing,”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“I wished I were a snake, so I could crawl out of my skin.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“It was surprising how quickly the girls opened up to my mother. Gemma told her the entire story of the Darkroom and the Dulcinea Award. She also reviewed the complete bird lexicon. My mother was as baffled as I was by the ubiquity of blowjobs as an introductory sexual act. “I don’t understand,” said Mom. “Don’t girls give hand jobs anymore? Much less effort required.” “The blowjob is the new hand job,” I said. “Really?” said Mom. “How many girls are entered in the contest? And what do they get—money?” “Most girls don’t even know there is a contest,” Gemma said. “If you don’t want to do something, why do you do it?” said my mom. “There’s this thing the boys do,” Mel said. “They make it seem like there’s something wrong with you if you don’t do it. So, you’re hanging out with some guy you like. You’re kissing and stuff and the next thing you know, he’s unzipped his fly. And you’re like, what happened? But you don’t say that because it’s awkward and—and you’re already not thinking clearly, because you like the person and everything you’ve done so far feels good. You don’t want to ruin the mood, so you do it. And while you’re doing it, you’re not feeling anything at all, and you’re telling yourself it’s not a big deal. But then, later, you feel something. You feel wrong, like dirty and used, and stupid. And you wonder what happened to you, the you who has a backbone.” “I need another drink,” I said. “Me too,” said my mother. Me too, said Gemma and Mel. My mother would have given them both a shot of bourbon, but I nixed that idea when I saw her pull two more glasses from the cabinet. Gemma showed us a few samples of the scoring system but wouldn’t relinquish the entire stack of entrants. “Swallows were spies, right?” said my mother, as she gazed down at the page. “Spies? What do you mean?” Mel said, perking up. “The Russians called female spies ‘swallows’ and male spies ‘ravens’ in the Cold War,” I said. “See, Mel. You’re a spy. That’s all,” said Gemma. “I would cut off the penis of any man who talk about me like this,” said my mother, as she gazed down at a score sheet. “You know what I would like to see? A bad-blowjob contest. That would teach them.” Gemma and Mel, who had seemed so lost, suddenly looked up at Mom like she was their new queen.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“An old man who listens is better than a young woman who doesn’t.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. That’s all, folks. Be safe out there.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“Boys are like that. They'd rather you die than reject them.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“I have been disappointed by students, even hurt and humiliated. That was the first time I felt fear.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“What does scare you?” “I scare me.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows

“The girl was confused. It was a misunderstanding. That's all.
What was the crux of the misunderstanding?
She didn't say no.”
― Lisa Lutz, The Swallows