“My grandfather taught me that if a friend asks for your forgiveness, you should always give it. [...] He also taught me that if you have to give it again, then they weren t a friend to begin with.”
“Imagine having a friendship like that. Like Hey there, pal...looks like you re having a weird day, so I understand if you need to trap me in a sleeping bag and rub the inside of a banana peel on me until I admit that my name is Dance Pony.”
“One who has learned friendship has learned religion; the one who has learned friendship has attained spiritual knowledge. The one who has leaned friendship need learn very little else; morals in Persian is friendship.”
“She doesn t turn her head to see if I m following. She knows I ll always follow.”
“It used to bother me when I read books where the main characters fell in love or became best friends after only knowing each other a short time. I’d complained about it to Tommy once, and he’d said that’s how it happens in real life. Everyone we meet begins as a stranger, so we project onto them who we need them to be until we get to know them. He said we have to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person.”
“But by the time those acquaintances became close friends, it was too late. Perhaps there was a perfect moment in between, when you were close enough to tell but not so close it was problematic that you hadn t done so already, but it was infinitesimal, too fleet and fleeting to pin down, visible not even in hindsight.”
“Love, friendship, networking - these are all critical connections and the foundation of a healthy, happy life.”
“White people usually get really excited when a person of color likes them at all.”
“You two are straight-up shadows. Because you re always following me. Loyal to the end.”
“That s how it is with people sometimes. You peel the layers off one by one. Slowly. Patiently. Making time. Taking time. And all the while you re working toward a goal you didn t know was there. As the stewing makes tender the artichoke petals, so too, do time and effort turn acquaintenceship into the tender treasure that is friendship. That evening, in the glow of candlelight, and in the warmth which can only be felt among friends, each of us reached the heart of the artichoke. We are most comfortable with the things we know best. But if we always avoid the unfamiliar, how will we ever know what riches may be waiting for us, deep within the heart? A first encounter with an artichoke can be perplexing and somewhat formidable experience, for the artichoke gives little clue from its appearance of the delights within. The heart of the artichoke is surrounded- protected if you will- by both leaves and the choke or thistle. When properly prepared, the choke is easily removed and the small amount of meat on the softened leaves yields a promise of what s to come.”
“Whether a friend is with you or away from you, continue loving him. Umar ibn Ahmad recites a poem of Yazid al-Muhallabi: If you part from us, may God lead You to beautiful places. When you come to us, you are always welcome. When you go, do not fear that we will ever forget you. When you come, do not feel that we will ever have enough of you. (p. 95)”
“Everyone needs time for woolgathering, resting, for avoiding the sound of another human voice or just for paying attention to the counsel of one s inner thoughts and feelings. Everyone needs to remain in touch with the quiet parts of their thoughts that do not easily find their way into consciousness amid the noisy stresses of daily life.”
“Forming friendships, I suppose, is a little like walking on ice that thickens underneath your feet with every step toward each other.”
“The rain is a long standing friend. On several nights, it’s gentle patter drowned out all noise and soothed me to sleep.”
“Anna: I ve never understood all this devotion. Mouse: Don t you know? They all called me Mouse. But you were they only one who didn t believe it.”
“I swallow hard and yank out my earbuds. I push the tears back down. I m sick of crying every time I see or hear or feel something that reminds me of her. But before I can move on, I have to shake off the weight of my past. Of our past. I need to rewrite our prologue before it destroys me. So that s exactly what I m going to do. (pg.6)”
“The thing I didn t realize about having a best friend while I still had one is just how wrapped up she is in everything I do. Every outfit I wear or song I listen to. Every place I go. Losing someone can leave you haunted. (pg6)”