Potent quotables
It’s clear to me now that I had no business agreeing to write this book.
I know how good I am at bemoaning my process and pretending I don’t care so that my final product will seem totally natural and part of my essence and not something I sweated for months and years.
A war raged between my jokey and protective brain and my squishy and tender heart.
So here we go, you and me. Because what else are we going to do? Say no? Say no to an opportunity that may be slightly out of our comfort zone? Quiet our voice because we are worried it is not perfect? I believe great people do things before they are ready. This is America and I am allowed to have healthy self-esteem.
“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
Dating in high school was very different. Boys suddenly went up your shirt. Girls were expected to give blow jobs and be sexy. You had to be hot but not a slut. You had to be into sex but never have it, except when your boyfriend wanted it. If you had sex you had to keep it a secret but also be very good at it, except not too good, because this better be your first time.
People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.
Going from crying to laughing that fast and hard happens maybe five times in your life and that extreme right turn is the reason why we are alive, and I believe it extends our life by many years.
This essay is about apologies, and I have learned an important part of apologizing is not making excuses.
The pressure of “What are you going to do?” makes everybody feel like they haven’t done anything yet.
It’s easier to be brave when you’re not alone.
You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.
I think about the few times I drove drunk and I picture all of the beautiful families I passed in my car whose lives I could have taken. Please don’t drive drunk, okay? Seriously. It’s so fucked up. But by all means, walk drunk. That looks hilarious. Everyone loves to watch someone act like they are trying to make it to safety during a hurricane.