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Neal Shusterman

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Famous Neal Shusterman Quotes

“What, are you totally psycho?" I shouted. "Maybe I am!" he screamed back at me. "Maybe that's just what I am. Maybe I'm that quiet guy who suddenly goes nuts and then you find half the neighborhood in his freezer." I gotta admit, that one stumped me for a second - but only for a second. "Which half?" I asked. "Huh?" "Which half of the neighborhood? Could you make it the people on the other side of Avenue T, because I never really liked them anyway.”

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Author:Neal Shusterman
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“Cities are never random. No matter how chaotic they might seem, everything about them grows out of a need to solve a problem. In fact, a city is nothing more than a solution to a problem, that in turn creates more problems that need more solutions, until towers rise, roads widen, bridges are built, and millions of people are caught up in a mad race to feed the problem-solving, problem-creating frenzy.”

PeopleNeedsMatterFactsProblemSeemsMightTurnsGrowsRaceCitiesMillionsCreatingSolutionsBuiltMadCaughtSolveBridgesProblem SolvingTowersCaught UpChaoticFrenzySolution To A Problem
Book:Downsiders
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“I don't know what happens to our consciousness when we're unwound," says Connor. "I don't even know when that consciousness starts. But I do know this." He pauses to make sure all of them are listening. "We have a right to our lives!" The kids go wild. "We have a right to choose what happens to our bodies!" The cheers reach fever pitch. "We deserve a world where both those things are possible— and it's our job to help make that world.”

KnowsWorldHelpingBodyHappensKidsJobsConsciousnessOur LivesListeningDeserveCheerPausesFeverFever Pitch
Book:Unwind
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“The living do not see eternity, just as they don't see Everlost, but they sense both in ways that they don't even know. They don't feel the Everlost barrier set across the Mississippi River, and yet no one had ever dared to draw city boundaries that straddle both sides of its waters. The living do not see Afterlights, and yet everyone has had times when they've felt a presence near them - sometimes comforting, sometimes not - but always strong enough to make one turn around and look over one's shoulder.”

KnowsWayFeelsLooksSometimesEnoughTurnsStrongFeltSidesWaterCitiesDrawsRiversEternityBoundariesShouldersBarriersBoth SidesComfortingStrong EnoughMississippiMississippi River
Author:Neal Shusterman
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“The rides are different for everyone. I'm convinced of that now. I mean, sure, there are some we ride together. Either we find ourselves drawn to some common experience, or maybe we're pulled in by the people we care about. Our friends, our families can drag us onto coasters and Tilt-A-Whirls that are really meant for them. But in the end, no matter whose rides we find ourselves on, the experience is all our own.”

PeopleMeanDifferentEndsMatterCareTogetherCommonConvincedOur FamilyDragCoastersTiltCommon Experience
Book:Full Tilt
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“And," added Mikey. "she's my sister." The others looked at him for a moment, and broke out laughing. "Yeah, yeah," Squirrel scoffed, "and the McGill is my cousin." Now Allie burst out laughing, which made Mikey more annoyed. "If the McGill was your cousin," Mikey said, "I can guarantee he'd disown you.”

IfsMadeSaidI CanMomentsLaughingYeahBrokeGuaranteesMy SisterCousinAnnoyedSquirrelsMy CousinYour CousinMikey
Book:Neal Shusterman's Skinjacker Trilogy: Everlost; Everwild; Everfound
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“The kiss was the definition of perfect. True, it lacked the heat, the passion, the breathlessness of the living-world kiss she had given Milos, but this had something greater. More than a flash of fire, it had an unbreakable, perhaps eternal bond of connection. Mikey had transformed back into himself by the end of the kiss, and the moment their lips parted he knew, as he should have known long, long ago, that no one - not Milos, not another Afterlight, not anyone in any world - could ever come between him and Allie, from now until the day they met their maker.”

WorldShouldLongEndsMomentsPassionGivenPerfectKnownFireGreaterMetsKissingEternalConnectionsShould HaveLipsDefinitionsHeatMakersTransformedFlashLong AgoUnbreakableShould Have KnownMikey
Author:Neal Shusterman
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“When it comes to such open-heart reflection, I'm a firm believer in the observer effect, which states that anything you try to observe is automatically changed by the mere fact that you're looking at it. The way I see it, if you try to study your emotions on a microscopic level, the best you can do is understand how it feels to hold the magnifying glass.”

IfsWayFeelsTryingHeartStatesFactsCan DoLevelsEmotionStudyEffectsChangedReflectionMereGlassesBelieverFirmObserversOpen HeartMagnifyingMagnifying Glass
Author:Neal Shusterman
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“Mooooon!” said the Ogre. “Tranquility …” Then he pointed at the full moon. “Neil Armstrong walked in a sea of Tranquility.” Then he added, “It’s made of cheese. But you have to take off the plastic before you put it on a burger.” Mickey sighed. “What’s his story?” the wraith asked. “He’s chocolate,” Mikey said.”

MadeSaidStoriesSeaMoonChocolatePlasticCheeseTranquilityBurgersMickeyArmstrongFull MoonWraithMikey
Book:Everfound
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“I believe that we have free will. I believe we get the chance to make choices in our lives. Not everything is set in stone from the moment we're born. We choose our destiny, our ultimate fate. But I also think that we don't realize the choices we've made until after we make them. We're racing down a freeway, only to realize we've missed all the exits, and the only direction we can go is dead ahead.”

ThinkingBelieveMadeMomentsChoicesI BelieveRealizingBornChanceDestinyOur LivesFateStonesUltimateFree WillRacingOur DestinyExitFreeways
Author:Neal Shusterman
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“Don’t I have a choice in this?” But when she looks behind her, the answer is clear. There are two guards waiting to make sure that she has no choice at all. And as they lead her away, she thinks of Mr. Durkin. With a bitter laugh, Risa realizes that he may get his wish after all. Someday he may see her hands playing in Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, the rest of Risa won’t be there.”

ThinkingLooksMayTwoHandsChoicesWishWaitingRealizingAnswersBehindsLaughingClearBitterSomedayHallsCarnegieCarnegie Hall
Author:Neal Shusterman
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