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Rick Yancey Quotes

Novelist

Rick Yancey is an American novelist known for his young adult literature. His works often blend elements of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, and are highly favored by young readers.

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All Rick Yancey Cassie Sullivan The 5th Wave The Infinite Sea Ringer 5th Wave Ifs Evan Walker Ben Parish Knows

Famous Rick Yancey Quotes

“When I cry - when I let myself cry - that's who I cry for. I don't cry for myself. I cry for the Cassie that's gone. And I wonder what that Cassie would think of me. The Cassie who kills.”

Thinking Wonder Gone Cry Think Of Me 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I had it all wrong," he says. "Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for.”

Way Dies Found Willing Found You Willing To Die 5th Wave

Author:Rick Yancey

“I am a shark, Cassie," he says slowly, drawing the words out, as if he might be speaking to me for the last time. Looking into my eyes with tears in his, as if he's seeing me for the last time. "A shark who dreamed he was a man.”

Ifs Men Might Eye Lasts Seeing Tears Drawing Last Time Sharks

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I thought I knew what loneliness was before he found me, but I had no clue. You don't know what real loneliness is until you've known the opposite.”

Knows Real Found Known Loneliness Opposites Clue

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“A moment comes in war when the last line must be crossed. The line that separates what you hold dear from what total war demands. If he couldn't cross that line, the battle was over, and he was lost. His heart, the war. Her face, the battlefield. With a cry only he could hear, the hunter turned. And ran.”

Ifs Heart War Moments Lasts Faces Lost Lines Cry Battle Demand Crosses Dear Ran Hunters Battlefields Total War

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I didn't save you," he whispers, lips tickling my eyelashes. "You saved me.”

Lips Saved Eyelashes Tickling You Saved Me

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Prayers and promises. The one his sister made to him. The unspoken one I made to my sister. Prayers are promises, too, and these are the days of broken promises.”

Made Prayer Broken Promise My Sister Unspoken Broken Promises

Author:Rick Yancey

“Because we will die, but at least we will die unbroken.”

Dies Unbroken

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that promise, the war is over - not the big war, but the war that matters, the one in the battlefield of his heart. Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.”

Ifs Should Heart Made War Matter Bigs Kids Break Promise Should Have Zombie Battlefields Back When

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“God doesn't call the equipped, son. God equips the called. And you have been called.”

Has Beens Son

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Do you know how to tell who the enemy is, Cassie?”

Knows Enemy Know How Do You Know

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“After another half second, he's locked me in a bear hug, crushing me into his chest and lifting my feet a couple inches off the ground as I kick furiously with my heels, twisting my head back and forth, snapping at his forearm with my teeth. And the whole time his lips tickling the delicate skin of my ear. "Cassie. Don't. Cassie..." "Let...me...go." "That's been the whole problem. I can't.”

I Can Whole Problem Half Feet Bears Couple Skins Ears Let Me Lips Teeth Kicks Crush Chests Delicate Inches Locked Hug Heels Back And Forth Lifting Let Me Go Snapping Tickling Bear Hugs

Author:Rick Yancey

“What were they thinking? 'It's an alien apocalypse! Quick, grab the beer!”

Thinking Aliens Beer Apocalypse 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“And no answer when we sent our message. Something like, "Hello, welcome to Earth. Hope you enjoy your stay. Please don't kill us.”

Earth Enjoy Answers Please Messages Welcome Hello 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Why did they come billions of miles just to stare at us? It's rude.”

Billions Miles Staring Rude 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Then the door flew open and Mr. Faulks told us to head over to the gym. I thought that was really smart. Get all of us in one place so the aliens didn't have to waste a lot of ammunition.”

Doors Waste Smart Aliens Gym Flew Really Smart Ammunition 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I would kill for a cheeseburger. Honestly. If I stumbled across someone eating a cheeseburger, I would kill them for it.”

Ifs Eating Honestly Cheeseburger 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Even the most sensitive person can get used to even the most insensitive thing. Cruelty isn’t a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit.”

Persons Used Personality Habit Cruelty Sensitive Traits Insensitive Personality Traits Sensitive Person

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“What doesn't kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us. You're beating plowshares into swords, Vosch. You are remaking us. We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo. And we will be your masterpiece.”

School Masterpiece Clay

Author:Rick Yancey

“And in more than half the pictures, she isn't looking at the camera; she's looking at him. Not the way I would look at Ben Parish, all squishy around the eyes. She looks at Evan fiercely, like, This here? It's mine”

Way Looks Eye Half Mines Cameras Parish

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I'm one, too," he said. "What?" He spit a wad of blood and mucus into the dirt. "A virgin." What a shock. "What makes you think I'm a virgin?" I asked. "You wouldn't have hit me if you weren't.”

Ifs Thinking Said Blood Shock Dirt Virgins Spit Make You Think

Author:Rick Yancey

“I'm here because they've killed almost all of us, but not all of us. And that's their mistake, son. That's the flaw in their plan. Because if you don't kill all of us at once, whoever's left are not going to be the weak ones. The strong ones- and only the strong ones- will survive. The bent but unbroken, if you know what I mean. People like me. And people like you.”

People Ifs Knows Mean Left Strong Mistake Plans Son Like You Weak Like Me Flaws Bent Mean People Unbroken

Author:Rick Yancey

“You are the human clay," Vosch whispers fiercely in my ear. "And I am Michelangelo. I am the master builder, and you will be my masterpiece.”

Humans Masters Ears Masterpiece Clay Builder

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.”

Matter Promise

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I don't move. I wait behind my log, terrified. Over the past ten minutes, it's become such a dear friend, I consider naming it: Howard, my pet log.”

Past Moving Waiting Behinds Minutes Ten Dear Pet Terrified Over The Past Dear Friend

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“He asks me what happened to my leg. I told him I was shot by a shark. He doesn't react. Doesn't seem confused or amused or anything. Like getting shot by a shark is a perfectly natural thing in the aftermath of the arrival.”

Seems Asks Natural Happened Shots Legs Ask Me Confused Sharks Arrivals Amused Aftermath Natural Things Perfectly Natural

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I stare at her. I've always known that it's impossible to argue with Belinda, not because she's particularly good at it, but because she's so bad at it- that there is no common ground to work from. She simply sees the world she wants to see it and no amount of logic can change her mind.”

World Want Mind Common Known Impossible Amount Logic Arguing Staring Common Ground

Author:Rick Yancey

“He spreads his fingers over my heart, like he’s holding it, like it belongs to him, the hard-fought-for territory he’s won fair and square.”

Heart Hard My Heart Fairs Fingers Spread Territory Squares

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Maybe the last human being on Earth won't die of starvation or exposure or as a meal of wild animals. Maybe the last one to die will be killed by the last one alive.”

Humans Earth Lasts Dies Human Beings Animal Alive Meals Exposure Starvation Wild Animal

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“The next time you better have a good reason," I tease him. "Okay." He kisses me again. "Reason?" I ask softly. "Um. You're really pretty?" "That's a good one. I don't know if it's true, but it's good.”

Ifs Knows Reason Next Asks Kissing Okay Next Time Tease Kiss Me Really Pretty

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I start to unbutton his shirt. "Got to get these clothes off," I mutter. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that." Smile. Lopsided. Sexy.”

Knows Long Know How Clothes Sexy Shirts

Author:Rick Yancey

“Then I strip the pants away from each leg, like peeling a banana. That's it, the perfect metaphor: peeling a banana.”

Perfect Metaphor Legs Pants Bananas Peeling

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“When I woke up in you, Cassie. I wasn't fully human until I saw myself in your eyes." And then there are real human tears in his real human eyes, and it's my turn to hold him while his heart breaks. My turn to see myself in his eyes.”

Humans Heart Real Eye Turns Break Saws Tears His Eyes Heart Break Human Eyes Real Human

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“And if humanity is the last war, then I am the battlefield.”

Ifs War Lasts Humanity Battlefields

Author:Rick Yancey

“If I had faced it then, I wouldn't be facing it now, but sooner or later you have to choose between running and facing the thing you thought you could not face.”

Ifs Running Faces Sooner Or Later Moral Responsibility

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Oh, Will Henry. After all we have been through, how could I send you away now, at our most critical hour? You are indispensable to me.”

Has Beens Hours Critical Indispensable

Book:The Monstrumologist: The Terror Beneath

Source: The Monstrumologist: The Terror Beneath

“Soon I will fall asleep and I will wake from this terrible dream. The endless night will fall, and I will rise. I long for that night. I do not fear it. I have had my fill of fear. I have stared too long into the abyss, and now the abyss stares back at me.”

Long Dream Night Fall Terrible Endless Staring Abyss Do Not Fear

Book:The Monstrumologist: Curse of the Wendigo

Source: The Monstrumologist: Curse of the Wendigo

“In case you're an alien and you're reading this: BITE ME.”

Reading Cases Aliens Bites Bite Me

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“In every creepy movie ever made, the barn is the prime nesting ground for the things you don't know you're looking for and always regret finding.”

Knows Made Regret Findings Prime Creepy Barns

Author:Rick Yancey

“We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo. And we will be your masterpiece.”

Masterpiece Clay

Author:Rick Yancey

“When I wake up the next morning, there's a Hershey's Kiss sitting on the table beside me.”

Next Morning Kissing Sitting Wake Up Tables Hershey

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“And then Evan Walker kisses me.”

Kissing Kiss Me Walkers

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Some things you don't have to promise. You just do.”

Promise

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I don't care what the stars say about how small we are. One, even the smallest, weakest, most insignificant one, matters.”

Life Matter Care Stars Don't Care I Don't Care Smallest Insignificant

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“There's the bullshit you know that you know; the bullshit you don't know and know you don't know; and the bullshit you just think you know but really don't.”

Thinking Knows Bullshit

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“I am the one, Not Running, Not Staying, But FACING”

Running Staying 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“It was the price of survival. The cost of his people's last, desperate gamble: To rid his new home of humanity, he had to become human. And being human, he had to overcome his humanity.”

People Humans Home Lasts Humanity Cost Survival Overcoming Desperate Being Human Gamble New Home

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“Sometimes in my tent, late at night, I think I can hear the stars scraping against the sky.”

Thinking I Can Sometimes Night Stars Sky Late Hearing Novelists Night Sky Tents Late Night Scraping 5th Wave

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

“The harder survival becomes, the more you want to pull together. And the more you want to pull together, the harder survival becomes.”

Want Together Survival Harder

Author:Rick Yancey

“It wasn't aliens that first made us gear up for war; it was our fellow humans.”

Firsts Humans Made War Fellows Aliens Gears

Book:The 5th Wave

Source: The 5th Wave

About the Author

Born: November 4, 1962
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 275

Books & Sources

The 5th WaveRelated source material

The Infinite SeaRelated source material

The Last StarRelated source material

The Monstrumologist: The Terror BeneathRelated source material

The Isle of BloodRelated source material

The MonstrumologistRelated source material

The Infinite Sea: The Second Book of the 5th WaveRelated source material

The Monstrumologist: The Isle of BloodRelated source material

The Curse of the WendigoRelated source material

The Final DescentRelated source material

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