The Ones We Choose Quotes

“How many times have I caught myself parenting the kid who existed yesterday, only to realize they’ve woken up as someone entirely new today?”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“MUTATION A mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence. Some mutations are inherited, while others are acquired during our lifetime, direct results of our environment and our experiences. Events—both mundane and traumatic—can cause a mutation. Cancer is a specific kind of mutation that occurs in concert with another gene malfunction. Meaning, we all have some cancer cells in our bodies, but they never grow or develop because other genes suppress them. In order for a cancer mutation to take hold, a silent genetic breakdown has to have already occurred. I think about how long ago this breakdown began for my father. Did it start when he left us the first time, a single cell mutating as he packed his bags and slipped away in the middle of the night? I would imagine abandoning your family must leave some kind of biological mark. My mother used to always tell Rose and me, “You reap what you sow.” But it was my father she should have said that to. He was careless about everything—physically and emotionally. He moved through life believing he could outrun the consequences of his choices. He may be able to convince Rose to forgive him, or my mother to remain devoted, but this just proves biology is smarter than we are. Be it several days or several decades, biology doesn’t forget. Everything catches up to us eventually.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“scorpion. I don’t know any other way to be.” Chapter Sixteen “We’ve got a problem with Scott’s oxytocin levels,” Bruno says, dropping a pile of reports on my desk as he enters our office.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“THE SCIENCE OF FRIENDS Neuroscientist Moran Cerf of Northwestern University has found scientific evidence to prove that long-term happiness depends on who you’re friends with. He says that when two people are together, their brain waves will sync, becoming nearly identical. “The more we study engagement, we see time and again that just being next to certain people aligns your brain with them. This means the people you hang out with actually have an impact on your engagement with reality, beyond what you can explain. And one of the effects is you become alike.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“Neuroscientist Moran Cerf of Northwestern University has found scientific evidence to prove that long-term happiness depends on who you’re friends with. He says that when two people are together, their brain waves will sync, becoming nearly identical. “The more we study engagement, we see time and again that just being next to certain people aligns your brain with them. This means the people you hang out with actually have an impact on your engagement with reality, beyond what you can explain. And one of the effects is you become alike.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“GENOME”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“Cerf concludes that if you want to lead a happy life, you should surround yourself with people who have traits you’d like to have yourself. Over time, you will begin to absorb them and exhibit them on your own.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“want to lead a happy life, you should surround yourself with people who have traits you’d like to have yourself. Over time, you will begin to absorb them and exhibit them on your own. Chapter Twenty-Nine “Thanks so much for picking up Nick,” Jackie says.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“Life is scary. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t live it.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“headed”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“TAKOTSUBO CARDIOMYOPATHY No one’s ever died of a broken heart. Except why do we have so many phrases that describe the physicality of grief? Heartsick Heartbroken Heartache. The heart bears the brunt of our grief, and it takes a toll. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a condition that mimics a heart attack. Its cause? Severe emotional or physical stress. Turns out, you can die of a broken heart after all.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“Oxytocin, “the bonding hormone,” is well documented in mothers, helping them through labor and in forming an attachment to their babies. A recent study has found that oxytocin levels in new fathers are nearly identical to those in mothers—even several weeks postpartum—proving that fathers are as biologically programmed to care for their offspring as mothers.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“My interest in science was sparked with a lie: Every seven years, the cells in our body are replaced with completely new cells. Biologically, no part of your old self exists. My high school biology teacher delivered this information, not knowing the hope his words would ignite in me. I latched on to the idea that after enough time, there would be no part of me that had firsthand knowledge of my father or the pain he caused. That all the way down to my cells, he would eventually become a stranger. Even though that turned out to be a myth—some arbitrary math to make shiny the otherwise rudimentary concept of cell regeneration and death—there is some truth to it. All cells have a life cycle. Our bodies are made up of approximately seventy-five trillion living cells, each one toiling away at a specific job for the entirety of its life. They self-replicate through mitosis, splitting in half to create an exact copy. Every minute, we create one hundred million new red blood cells, which will live for four months before dying. White blood cells last longer—about a year. Skin cells only live two to three weeks. So if you’ve broken up with your boyfriend, in a few months, there will be no part of you he’s touched. That much is true. But there are some cells that last a lifetime. Brain cells in the cerebral cortex start recording from conception and don’t stop until death. This is where your memory lives. Your thoughts. Your awareness. These cells carry with them every moment of your life—even the ones you’d rather leave behind.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose

“though that turned out to be a myth—some arbitrary math to make shiny the otherwise rudimentary concept of cell regeneration and death—there is some truth to it.”
― Julie Clark, The Ones We Choose