People shut their eyes to a distant tragedy saying there’s nothing they could do, yet they didn’t stand up for one happening nearby either because they’re too terrified. Most people could feel but didn’t act.

I hoped that someday in his life he’d be given a chance to be able to wear a different expression on his face.

all those things were only proof of their weakness. It was a manifestation of their vulnerability because they longed for strength.

I like to win. If I can’t protect myself from being hurt, I’d rather hurt other people.”

Lastly, and I know it sounds like an excuse, but neither you nor I nor anyone can ever really know whether a story is happy or tragic.

Do you think enduring all this will make you strong? This isn’t strong. It’s just pretending to be.”

From what I understood, love was an extreme idea. A word that seemed to force something undefinable into the prison of letters. But the word was used so easily, so often. People spoke of love so casually, just to mean the slightest pleasure or thanks.

people might say they “like” it or even “love” it, but in my vocabulary, “comfortable” was the best scale.

She also didn’t like that the doctors saw me as an interesting specimen rather than a human being.