The Devil Wears Black Quotes

“Hiraeth: a homesickness for a home you can’t return to or that never was.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“And remember our flower rule: if it doesn’t make you grow or blossom—let it go.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Bull. Fucking. Shit. He makes you comfortable.” “What’s wrong with comfortable?” “Comfortable would never set you on fire.” “Maybe I don’t want to burn.” “We all want to burn, Mad. It is dangerous, ergo, we want it.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I was just wondering if . . .” His eyes ran down my cleavage in the dress, and a smirk twisted his lips. Like he’d found his footing. I needed him to do that. Find his footing. Talk. “If?” I tried to keep my voice neutral. “If I could be the lucky bastard to destroy this masterpiece with my teeth while half-drunk and fully in love with you on your wedding night.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Death is no longer an obscure idea. It is real and it is waiting, so you grab life by the balls. When you go through the horror of seeing someone you love die and still manage to wake up the next day to tie your shoelaces, to shove a tasteless breakfast down your throat, to breathe, you realize survival trumps tragedy. Always. It’s a primal instinct.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Since I found out being a pushover doesn’t equal being nice. Being strong is not only kind on myself—but on other people too.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Every decision you make has a reason. Think about it.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“When the nights get cold, the memory of your ex burns hotter.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Cross my heart and hope to die." He put a hand on his chest mockingly.

"At least our hopes are aligned.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“The days after the funeral stuck together like pages in an unread book.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I did as I was told, smoothing my hand across the lush fabric of the Moonflower. I’d named the dress design after the white flower, which looked like a long dress midtwirl when it opened. But there was a catch that made me insist on the name—the moonflower only opened at night. It blossomed in the dark. Sven had said to call it something that reminded me of myself. Nothing reminded me of myself more than blossoming in the arms of darkness.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“She smelled of flowers and coconut and my potential demise.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I bowed my head down, plastering my forehead to hers, breathing her in. I closed my eyes. We both knew there was not an ounce of romance in that moment. It was a pure this-planet-is-crazy-and-the-human-condition-is-trash moment. It was an end-of-the-world moment, and there wasn’t anywhere else I’d rather be.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I didn’t know golden showers are your jam. I am happy to accommodate this.” “Chase!” she shrieked. “What? It’d save water. I’m just being an environmentalist.” Somehow I thought Greta Thunberg still wouldn’t approve.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Don’t shy away from the world. You will get hurt. You will hurt others, even if you don’t mean to. Pain is inevitable through life. But joy is too. So seize the day. Love hard. Get lots of sleep. Eat well. And remember our flower rule: if it doesn’t make you grow or blossom—let it go.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Food is rarely about food,” he said. “It’s about comfort. It’s about sex. It’s about revenge and lust and anger. But food is never about food.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“So tiny she couldn’t possibly count as an entire person. I technically only had half an ex-girlfriend. Just admit you had a fucking girlfriend, you full-size piece of shit.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I’d looked at postcollege Amber like a new,
shiny, limited-edition car. She’d raised my stock and seemed like a good addition to my life at the time. I looked at Madison like she was a piñata full of surprises and 0rgasms I wanted to burst. With my dick-shaped bat.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“What had I ever done to karma to deserve this lubeless ass fucking?”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“The devil didn’t have to drag me down to hell. I had come with him willingly.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I wanted to pull Becky’s, Berta’s, and Mom’s guts out of their a-holes and make trendy scarves out of them.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“I looked at Madison like she was a piñata full of surprises and orgasms I wanted to burst. With my dick-shaped bat.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“He’s fine,” I clipped. “So are you.” The driver grinned. “I’m going to smoke your eyes like beef jerky if you as much as look at her that way again,” Chase groaned. It was the first time he’d spoken since we’d gotten in the car.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Dear Maddie, Fun fact: The dandelion flower opens up in the morning to greet the sun and closes in the evening to go to bed. It is the only flower to “grow old.” When you were younger, I took you to the park every day. Do you remember, Maddie? We used to look at dandelions and try to determine which ones would turn white and frail first. When they finally did, we’d pick them and blow them. They’d dance in the wind like snowflakes, and you’d chase them and laugh. I told you it was okay to pick up dandelions and blow on them, because we spread their seeds. Each dandelion that died was responsible for the birth of a dozen like it! There is a twisted, jagged beauty to the ending of life. It is a bittersweet reminder that it happened. Seize the moment. Every moment. Until we meet again. Love, Mom. x”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“For all Chase’s faults (and there were many; I could write a War and Peace–length book about all of them),”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“June 3, 1999 Dear Maddie, Fun fact of the day: The poppy has astonishingly flourished on battlefields, smashed by boots, tanks, and the first industrial war the world had ever seen. It is a token of remembrance in Britain. Poppies are strong, stubborn, and impossible to break. Be a poppy. Always. Love, Mom. x”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Finish that thought, Mad. I’ve a feeling it’s going to be amusing,” he said tonelessly, plucking my toothbrush from the silver container by the sink and applying a generous amount of toothpaste onto it. “Conceited . . . arrogant . . . egotistical . . .” “Nah-ah. You don’t get to use synonyms. That’s cheating.” “Bastard!” I roared.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“My hollow, aching heart that never quite recovered from losing her.”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Dear Maddie, You are currently five, and very fond of the color yellow. In fact, yesterday you asked me if you could marry it. I hope you still wear it all the time. (I also hope you found someone a bit more suitable for marriage.) Fun fact of the day: When the Spanish explorers reached the Americas, they thought sunflowers were made of gold. The human brain is so imaginative! Stay creative, always. Love, Mom. x”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black

“Because you are all the best things about your father”
― L.J. Shen, The Devil Wears Black