If I had cared about her as I should have, as I thought I did, how could I have let her go?

You like someone who can't like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot.

When people call people nerds, mostly what they're saying is, 'you like stuff.' Which is not a good insult at all, like, 'you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human conscience.

I was so tired of her getting upset for no reason. The way she would get sulky and make references to the freaking oppressive nature of tragedy or whatever but then never said what was wrong, never have any goddamned reason to be sad. And I just think you ought to have a reason. My girlfriend dumped me, so I'm sad. I got caught smoking, so I'm pissed off. My head hurts, so I'm cranky. She never had a reason, Pudge. I was just so tired of putting up with her drama. And I just let her go. Christ.

YOU are valuable and rare and worthy of love.

It's not fair," I said. "It's just so goddamned unfair." "The world," he said, "is not a wishgranting factory.

We only have so long to play in the dirt and ask questions of rivers.