The Last Gifts of the Universe Quotes

“There was no deeper feeling of failure than to meet all the prerequisites of happiness and yet not achieve it.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“It’s strange what hindsight does. Takes all the layers of emotions and flattens them, either good or bad. It takes time to see the shadows as something beautiful. But of course in the present, hindsight is not possible. The presence is messy, scary, uncertain.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“I hope you one day recognize grief’s beauty, learn to live with the shadows, to understand that the only reason they could be so dark is because they were cast by so much light.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“Even at its core, even without common experience, there is something universal about loss. I can feel it, deep as heartache. Something stirs at loss. Something awakens to it, like a knowing, like an understanding, that this is how everything ends.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“I can’t help but remember that love, for our partners, our families, our friends, is an invitation for grief.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“With every species in the stars that we have not discovered, with our friends, our lovers, our bondmates, our families, our pets, and our enemies. We are all alive. It is the single greatest and most important unifying experience we all share.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“I hope that whoever is watching this, or reading it, or hearing it, that you do not suffer pain for too long if I go. I hope you one day recognize grief's beauty, learn to live with the shadows, to under- stand that the only reason they could be so dark is because they were cast by so much light.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“I love being out in the universe. I love the stars, space, other worlds, the hum of the ship when I sleep. Whenever I'm home, planet-side, it's so easy to get caught up in things. The news The wars. The economy. Pushing paper, getting promotions, an endless slew of new movies and games and content and products. It's easy to lose sight of the sky, to fall into the pat- tern of thinking that the only things that matter are the ones I find myself surrounded with. I suffocate back home. Even when Mom was there, I suffocated.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“Life,” my father said, “is what we have the most in common with every other creature. We all want to live and we become scared when living is threatened. All of us just want to survive and be comfortable, be happy.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe

“You would think that while flying against a backdrop of foreign, dying stars, the last thing I’d have to worry about would be cat vomit. But lo, Pumpkin has violently expelled his hastily eaten breakfast.”
― Riley August, The Last Gifts of the Universe