Stronger Than Words Quotes

“But my history isn’t something I should hide from or be ashamed of. Everyone has dealt with things in their past. It’s not our struggles that make us who we are, it’s how we respond to them.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“That's one of the problems with nice guys. If They can't stand up for themselves then they won't be able to stand up for you either.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Never depend completely on other people, but take help when you need it, and give help when you can.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Sometimes unintentionally cruel is the worst cruel of all.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“It sucks that it takes losing something important to make some people realize they need to change, but unfortunately that's how it is.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“What so many people don’t understand is that the reason some of us do things that seem impossibly hard to others is because we don’t have a choice.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I understand the impulse to downgrade your own issues when you’re confronted with others who have struggled more, but you shouldn’t invalidate your pains and experiences. It’s okay to feel sad, even if you’re not homeless, even if you've never had a stroke.”
― Paula stokes, Stronger Than Words

“How will this stroke steal away my remaining dignity, let me count the ways.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“The best revenge is living well', I think.

'Right now just living feels like a pretty big accomplishment.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I like helping people. Especially people who deserve it.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“But the truth is, pretending something didn't happen doesn't make it less real. it just makes 'me' less real.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I nod. It’s true, but I wish it were more true. Usually helping requires either money or time, and it’s often the case that someone without one of those things is also lacking in the other.”
― Paula stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Turning off the lights is like opening a doorway in my mind.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Because they recognize the only thing that separates them from us is bad luck, or making the wrong choice at the wrong time,” the woman said. “Most rich people feel like there’s a divide between them and us. They don’t see we’re all the same kind of human.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I’m afraid if she comes to visit all she’s
going to do is remind me of everything I’ve lost.

Maybe that makes me a bad friend, selfish. I think of it more like self-preservation. I can’t handle
more sadness right now.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Jake Darby? Ugh.” Jake Darby is like the villain in a bad teen movie—perfect on the outside, a
festering mass of evil on the inside.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Yeah, history is just brimming over with stories of total degenerates evolving into decent human
beings.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Anyone who is struggling with something could find inspiration in the way you face your problems head on and totally kick their asses.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“My lower lip trembles. I try to hold back the tears, but then for some reason I think of Sea telling me that first day after my stroke how I’ve earned them. I feel like maybe I’ve earned them again.

Or maybe tears aren’t something you have to earn.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I’m stronger with Cheyenne. Sure, I never settle for less than my best, but my best is better with my sister beside me. The realization brings me a weird sense of calm. Not peace, exactly, but resolution.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Whether I deserve affection is not dependent upon how quickly I learn to speak fluently again.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“I think again about the word criminal, how if it describes me it might also describe a lot of other decent people who made a mistake while struggling to do their best.”
― Paula stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Well, I can tell you what Mom would say: if you’re not ready to talk about it, then you’re not ready to do it.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“There’s something comforting about his presence. Something that makes me feel hopeful, like everything I want is still possible.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“My stroke didn’t affect my intelligence, but it’s hard not to feel academically impaired when I can’t really speak or write. I mean, I know all of my knowledge is still inside me, but does anyone else know that?”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Turning off the lights is like opening a doorway in my mind. All kinds of thoughts pour
out: What if I never get better? What if I’m not able to go to college? What if I am able to go to
college, but I lose my scholarship? What if I’m not smart enough to get into law school?”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Above our heads, the sun has burned away the clouds, leaving only a wide open swath of blue.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Cheyenne strolls into the room wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt with a picture of a rhinoceros and the words REAL UNICORNS HAVE CURVES. I smile even though I’m still sad about Wheels. It’s a gift the way my sister manages to find the very best T-shirts.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Healing is a process, not something I can accomplish in an hour.”
― Paula stokes, Stronger Than Words

“Oh for sure. He’s a Greek god. One of the ones who tricked and tortured people for their own
amusement.”
― Paula Stokes, Stronger Than Words