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Catherine Ryan Hyde

Catherine Ryan Hyde Quotes

Novelist

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an American novelist known for her poignant literary works that often delve into social issues, particularly the challenges faced by children and families. Born in 1955, Hyde has published numerous novels since 1985, including the widely popular 'Pay It Forward'.

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All Love Thinking Ifs Littles People Want Way World Acts Of Kindness Air

Famous Catherine Ryan Hyde Quotes

“[Rayleen talking to Billy.] "Grace is thriving here, and I dare anybody to challenge that. Anybody who has a problem with that can come take it up with me." "Thank God," Billy said, "because I really hate it when people come take things up with ME.”

Book:Don't Let Me Go

Source: Don't Let Me Go

“[Grace talking to Billy.] "It's like people who want to feel only happy but not sad," she said. "It never works. You either feel things or you don't. You don't get to pick and choose. At least, I don't think so.”

Inspirational Wise Words

Book:Don't Let Me Go

Source: Don't Let Me Go

“Is that really love? When it happens so fast? She sighed. Paused the movie. Sighed again. Some would say it's only love after you've been together long enough to work out who takes out the trash. And there's something to that. That part of love where you have to work at it. Learn to live together. But when you set eyes on that person, it's something. Call it what you want. If it turns into love, then maybe it's just love in all its stages. It's still real”

Love Love At First Sight

Book:Chasing Windmills

Source: Chasing Windmills

“[There] was a time when a lot of people came to the door. The milkman. The iceman. The Fuller Brush man. Encyclopedia salesmen. There was a sense of interaction with the world that started right at your own front doorstep.”

Book:Walter's Purple Heart

Source: Walter's Purple Heart

“After all, the only thing that hurts more than tears shed is tears unshed.”

Wish Secret Loneliness Isolation Phone Ringing Friendlessness More Often

Book:Have You Seen Luis Velez?

Source: Have You Seen Luis Velez?

“And then, every time I didn't see her, there was a fall involved. I thought about dancing on the fifth-floor ledge outside out apartment. Every train she wasn't on felt something like hitting the pavement from five floors up. So maybe my father was right about that. Maybe happiness and excitement really are dangerous things.”

Love Happiness Fall Sin Dangerous Danger Train Excited Happy Excitement Subway

Book:Chasing Windmills

Source: Chasing Windmills

“Ah, yes. That. The sin of being happy or excited. According to my father, we must guard carefully against such things. According to my father, these emotions are the equivalent of dancing on out fifth-floor window ledge. Clearly inviting a nasty fall.”

Love Fall Sin Drama Emotions Excited Happy

Book:Chasing Windmills

Source: Chasing Windmills

“We do crazy shit because we're broken.”

Love Life Broken Sad Depressed

Book:The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance

Source: The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance

“I felt the kiss still there on my forehead. Literally. It was frozen there. I could still feel it. I wanted to bronze it, like people do with baby shoes. I wanted to mount it and hang it over my mantelpiece.”

Love Memory Kiss

Book:Jumpstart the World

Source: Jumpstart the World

“I've practiced "alone" a lot, and I'm good at it.”

Book:Jumpstart the World

Source: Jumpstart the World

“All the boundaries of the world disappeared after a good snow. Nathan had always noticed that. The seemingly sturdy, dependable dividing lines between his yard and his neighbor's yard, or the sidewalk and the street, simply disappeared. Erased by white. As if the world were advising him not to put too much faith in such markings. That perhaps these lines had never been entirely real to begin with.”

Book:When I Found You

Source: When I Found You

“It’s just words. How can words be dangerous?” “You have a lot to learn about the world, baby girl. Nothing is more dangerous than words.” “That’s stupid. What about a gun? A gun can kill you dead.” “Only your body,” Billy said. “It can’t kill your soul. Words can kill your soul.”

Soul Dangerous Gun Words Killing The Soul

Book:Don't Let Me Go

Source: Don't Let Me Go

“People make mistakes all the time. That’s more or less the definition of a person: we’re a bunch of walking, talking mistake-holders. When I make a mistake, if I was doing my best, I let myself off the hook.”

Self Love Forgiveness Mistakes

Book:Just After Midnight

Source: Just After Midnight

“Love always looks nice. I don't really know anyone who doesn't enjoy it when they see it. Anyone who doesn't, I don't really want to know them.”

Knows Want Looks Enjoy Nice Love Always

Book:Jumpstart the World

Source: Jumpstart the World

“I try to think of a way to get there without going past it. There are lots of ways, but they all have me walking a little farther. And that's stupid, I decide. What am I, a little kid? I can stand to see something it hurts to want. I can see it and then just keep walking. It happens to lots of people everyday. We all survive.”

People Thinking Way Want Trying Littles I Can Happens Kids Past Hurt Stupid Walking Everyday It Hurts Little Kid

Book:Becoming Chloe

Source: Becoming Chloe

“The closer you get to heaven, the less air there is, because when you get to heaven for real, you don't need to breathe anymore.”

Needs Real Heaven Air Breathe Real You

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“Nobody said it was a beautiful world with no scars.”

World Said Beautiful Scar Beautiful World

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“If you want to see a man come to his senses, try something like, Do you happen to carry a rubber in your wallet? Did I mention I'm not on the pill?”

Ifs Men Want Trying Happens Sex Senses Pills Rubber Wallets

Book:Pay It Forward

Source: Pay It Forward

“A kiss, she thinks, has to be entirely balanced -- it has to have a little conflict, a little dialectic, a little revolution.”

Thinking Littles Revolution Conflict Kissing Balanced Dialectics

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“If it takes you apart, that's not love. Love puts you back together.”

Ifs Together Back Together

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“I decided that not talking is like a litmus test for a real friend. You can just sit there and be. Not always be filling up the air with words”

Real Talking Air Decided Tests Real Friends Filling Not Talking Filling Up

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“Things are so easy to do, so hard to undo.”

Book:The Day I Killed James

Source: The Day I Killed James

“There is no wrong way to perform an act of kindness.”

Way Kindness Wrong Way Acts Of Kindness

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“I keep telling you the future isn't set in stone. It's not all decided yet. The future is just what's down the road we decided to walk on today. You can change roads anytime. And that changes where you end up.”

Ends Today Walks Stones Decided Down The Road

Book:Chasing Windmills

Source: Chasing Windmills

“I think it's the things we don't talk about that make us old before out time.”

Book:The Day I Killed James

Source: The Day I Killed James

“I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses.”

People Ifs Way Giving Kind Hard Used Causes Loses Giving Up Pay It Forward

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“... even though it was beautiful and comfortable, and even though it was the world, it was also a little bit boring. No, wait. Maybe boring isn’t the right word. What’s the word I’m wanting here? Lonely. That’s it. It was a little bit lonely.”

World Littles Beautiful Bits Waiting Comfortable Little Bit Lonely Boring Right Words

Book:Second Hand Heart

Source: Second Hand Heart

“Because it proves that you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients. You can start with the world you've got.”

World Needs Prove Ordinary Ingredients

Book:Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition

Source: Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition

“Most people prefer to think that their resentment is entirely the fault of the person they resent, and that twisted logic seems to make sense in their minds. But it makes no sense to me at all... But it's a popular point of view. Probably because it's so much easier. It relieves you of the burden of any and all self-examination. (Nathan to Nat)”

People Thinking Mind Persons Self Seems Views Easier Logic Faults Burden Point Of View Make Sense Resentment Twisted Examination Resent Self-examination

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“We should all be much more careful with each other`s hearts.”

Should Heart Careful

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

“A genuine act of kindness makes me feel like I really am where you cut underneath anything external, and you become what a human being can really be. It’s like coming home when you give kindness. Kindness changes us, as human beings.”

Giving Feels Humans Home Human Beings Kindness Cutting Genuine Coming Home Acts Of Kindness

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

About the Author

Born: 1955
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 31

Related Topics

Love Thinking Ifs Littles People Want Way World Acts Of Kindness Air

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Chasing WindmillsRelated source material

Don't Let Me GoRelated source material

Jumpstart the WorldRelated source material

The Day I Killed JamesRelated source material

Becoming ChloeRelated source material

Have You Seen Luis Velez?Related source material

Just After MidnightRelated source material

Pay It ForwardRelated source material

Pay It Forward: Young Readers EditionRelated source material

Second Hand HeartRelated source material

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