Have I Told You This Already? Quotes

“It’s very useful to always have a friend who is much older and one who is much younger. The older friend will remind you what there is to look forward to and the younger friend will keep you telling your stories over again so you’ll remember not to forget them.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“Sometimes, mercifully, without our even asking it to, memory holds hands with fact and helps dull its edges during times when reality is too overwhelming to fully take in a joyous moment, like the birth of a child, or in a darker one, when pain is too great to comprehend, like the loss of a loved one.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

“Sometimes we polish an experience to make facts line up more closely with feelings or exaggerate moments to make a better dinner party tale. And sometimes, mercifully, details become blurry over time, maybe because the sharp reality is too painful to carry.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

“When does the mastery end? How many things do I need to be good at to feel good about myself? Could Dan Brown really teach me how to write a thriller as well as he does? Do I even want to try? Or has the access to geniuses of various types simply made us feel bad that we aren't enough just being interested in what we're interested in and accomplishing the less-than-genius-level things we already accomplish? Do I need to be good at more things or simply find more enjoyment in what I'm already pretty good at?”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“My grandmother used to say the only way she knew she wasn’t 18 anymore was when she looked in the mirror, and that makes sense to me now.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“I only wondered and worried about how long it was going to take. “Someday” doesn’t like to tell you when it plans to arrive.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

“Knowing the difference between what matters and what doesn’t is a huge thing.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade, but you don't have to.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“As some friends had pointed out, Mochi had picked the right person, me, in terms of someone who could handle and pay for what she’d needed as a little one. And maybe that was my role in her life—to take care of her until I could get her to the next place. And it occurred to me that while abandoning might always entail leaving, leaving did not necessarily mean abandoning. Maybe my mother didn’t abandon me, maybe she just got me to the next place. Maybe she felt my dad could build a better home than the one she could give either of us at the time.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“The me that looked my “best” was a me that smoked, was underfed, ran high with anxiety, didn’t get enough sleep, and still never felt good enough. And gradually, whatever that machine was and whatever adrenaline was fueling it began to break down, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. Sometimes when I hear someone say something about how a person “let herself go,” I wonder if she just got tired of the pressure and wanted a break, and instead of passively letting herself go, began to actively choose to leave herself alone.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“I feel I’m at an age now, like I was at 32, where I’m not doing too much looking forward, and not getting too stuck on looking back, but feeling that no matter their age or mine, I’m happy that I have these friends, and these precious days to spend with them.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

“It’s very useful to always have a friend who is much older and one who is much younger. The older friend will remind you what there is to look forward to and the younger friend will keep you telling your stories over again so you’ll remember not to forget them. An older friend will tell you you have plenty of time yet, and a younger friend will make you forget time altogether because when you’re with them you’ll feel, even for a moment, that you’re the exact same age.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“Do every job as if you’re being well paid.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“An older friend will tell you you have plenty of time yet, and a younger friend will make you forget time altogether because when you’re with them you’ll feel, even for a moment, that you’re the exact same age.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember

“The shift is small and yet a shock to the system, a momentary inconvenience but also a reminder that impermanence looms, and nothing--and no one--lives forever.”
― Lauren Graham, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember