The world was hers for the reading.
Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
“This could be a whole life," she thought. "You work eight hours a day covering wires to earn money to buy food and to pay for a place to sleep so that you can keep living to come back to cover more...”
“I know that's what people say-- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be bec...”
“But she needs me more than she needs him and I guess being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better.”
“Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be r...”
“She had become accustomed to being lonely. She was used to walking alone and to being considered 'different.' She did not suffer too much.”
“In his business, he observed human nature and came to certain conclusions about it. The conclusions lacked wisdom and originality; in fact, they were tiresome. But they were important to McGarrity ...”
“Some experiences are universal. A girl is a girl whether she lives in West Omaha or Sweet Valley. Books are often far more than books.”
“A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.”
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,And all the sweet serenity of books”
“But as the years went on, I realised that what I really want to be, all told, is a human. Just a productive, honest, courteously treated human.”
“How about "diamonds are a girl's best friends"? Nope. It should be switched around and pointed out, instead, that your best friends are diamonds.”
“Women who focus on style over substance usually find themselves in a big fucking hole, with other men who want to fuck the hole. Oh so smooth, and none sophistacted. Because, you know, how sophisti...”
“Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's any less true.”
“Oh, Sweetie. No one ever gets through their TBR list. For every book you finish, you'll add five more. That's just the way it works.”
“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”