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Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson Quotes

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Famous Laurie Halse Anderson Quotes

“Principal Principal: Where's your late pass, mister? Errant Student: I'm on my way to get one now. PP: But you can't be in the hall without a pass. ES: I know, I'm so upset. That's why I need to hurry, so I can get a pass. Principal Principal pauses with a look on his face like Daffy Duck's when Bugs is pulling a fast one. PP: Well, hurry up, then, and get that pass.”

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Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
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“It's Nathaniel Hawthorne Month in English. Poor Nathaniel. Does he know what they've done to him? We're reading The Scarlet Letter one sentence at a time, tearing it up and chewing on its bones. It's all about SYMBOLISM, says Hairwoman. Every word chosen by Nathaniel, every comma, every paragraph break -- these were all done on purpose. To get a decent grade in her class, we have to figure out what he was really trying to say. Why couldn't he just say what he meant? Would they pin scarlet letters on his chest? B for blunt, S for straightforward?”

KnowsTryingDoeDonePurposeReadingPoorClassBreakFiguresMonthsLettersBonesSentencesChosenDecentGradesChestsPinsStraightforwardSymbolismParagraphBluntScarletChewingOne SentenceHawthorne
Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
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“Who cares what the color means? How do you know what he meant to say? I mean, did he leave another book called "Symbolism in My Books?" If he didn't, then you could just be making all of this up. Does anyone really think this guy sat down and stuck all kinds of hidden meanings into his story? It's just a story.... But I think you are making all of this symbolism stuff up. I don't believe any of it.”

IfsThinkingKnowsBelieveKindMeanDoeBookStoriesCareGuySpeakStuffColorDown AndDon't BelieveStuckAll KindsSatDo You KnowWho CaresThis GuySymbolismHidden Meaning
Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
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“I know my head isn't screwed on straight. I want to leave, transfer, warp myself to another galaxy. I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt and mistake and anger to someone else. There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs. Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me. My closest is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them.”

IfsKnowsWantI CanHelpingHandsMemoriesMistakeQuietGuiltGood ThingsBeastHelp MeGutsClosestGalaxyTransfersDumpRibsStay With MeWarpQuiet PlaceScraping
Book:Speak
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“We tilt our heads back and open wide. The snow drifts into our zombie mouths crawling with grease and curses and tobacco flakes and cavities and boyfriend/girlfriend juice, the stain of lies. For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds. For one breath everything feels better. Then it melts. The bus drivers rev their engines and the ice cloud shatters. Everyone shuffles forward. They don't know what just happened. They can't remember.”

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Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
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“In one universe, they are gorgeous, straight-teethed, long-legged, wrapped in designer fashions, and given sports cars on their sixteenth birthdays. Teacher smile at them and grade them on the curve. They know the first names of the staff. They are the Pride of the Trojans. Oops – I mean Pride of the Blue Devils. In Universe #2, they throw parties wild enough to attract college students. They worship the stink of Eau de Jocque. They rent beach houses in Cancún during Spring Break and get group-rate abortions before prom.”

KnowsFirstsMeanLongEnoughUniverseHouseNamesGivenSportsPartyBreakTeacherGroupsFashionCarStudentsCollegePrideWorshipSpringDevilBlueRateBeachDesignerAbortionGradesStaffCurvesGorgeousStinkPromCollege StudentsSports CarsTrojansSpring BreakBeach HouseSixteenth Birthday
Book:Speak
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“i was raped, too sexually assaulted in seventh grade, tenth grade. the summer after graduation, at a party i was 16 i was 14 i was 5 and he did it for three years i loved him i didn't even know him he was my best friend's brother, my grandfather, father, mommy's boyfriend, my date, my cousin, my coach i met him for the first time that night and- 4 guys took turns, and- i'm a boy and this happened to me, and- ...i got pregnant i gave up my daughter for adoption... did it happen to you, too?”

KnowsYearsFirstsHappensNightGuyTurnsThreeFatherPartyBoysHappenedBrotherMetsSummerDaughterFirst TimeCoachesGradesMy DaughterThree YearsPregnantGrandfatherAdoptionCousinMy Best FriendMy GrandfatherGave UpSexuallyMy CousinSeventh Grade
Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
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“When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside—walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know.”

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Book:Speak
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“I live in the borderlands. The word ghost sounds like memory. The word therapy means exorcism. My visions echo and multiplymultiply. I don't know how to figure out what they mean. I can't tell where they start or if they will end. But I know this. If they shrink my head any more, or float me away on an ocean of pills, I will never return.”

IfsKnowsMeanI CanEndsSoundMemoriesVisionKnow HowFiguresReturnOceanGhostTherapyEchoesFloatsPillsShrinksExorcism
Book:Wintergirls
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