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Quote by Ocean Vuong

“I stared at my feet, at the shoes you bought me, the ones with red lights that flashed on the soles when I walked...my sneakers erupted with silent flares: the world's smallest ambulances, going nowhere.”

Quote by Ocean Vuong

Book:On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

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Ocean Vuong

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“When I was a child everything had its value. A lot of things; flowers, friends even a small puppy, they all had a part in my life’s value. Hard times to me meant high feed or hay prices, or too little rain for the gardens. Everything was so natural it gave me a real feeling of belonging to the earth. To have the freedom to run, jump and shout at the top of our lungs made all of us appreciate private spaces.”

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Book:Since I Can Remember: Holding My Past in My Heart Forever
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“You heard, right? Terrence and I are getting married. He's mine," she added unnecessarily. "Yup. Congrats." She waited for more, but that's all I had to say on that matter. "That's it? After you tried to steal him from me senior year, I figured you'd have more to say." Don't take the bait, Lila, don't take the bait. This woman is in charge of pretty much all patient information and she could easily get Bernadette fired. Don't push her. When I didn't respond, she said, "You always had such a smart mouth. Why are you so quiet now?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Because that all happened, what, seven years ago? Maybe even eight? How are you not even over it yet?" She scoffed, so I added, "And if you recall, he came to me when he saw you for the bully you were. Besides, I remember you getting pretty cozy with Derek as well." Her hand flew to her chest and literally clutched at her pearls. "How dare you! Just because you got dumped by your fiancé doesn't mean you have to lie about mine." As usual, good news traveled fast around Shady Palms. "Forget it. I was a fool to think you'd help me." I started to walk away, but knew I couldn't leave it like that and turned back around. "Congratulations to you and Terrence. He's a good guy and there aren't many of them left. I hope you make each other happy. Truly." She stood there with her mouth hanging open as I walked away, trembling but proud. I'd witnessed a tragedy, been interrogated by the police, reconciled with Bernadette, told off Amir, and confronted Janet all in one day. And it wasn't even dinnertime yet.”

ChildhoodBullyTriumphantWhat A Day
Book:Arsenic and Adobo
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“My father sits in an armchair in the evenings with a board across the arms of the chair and the drawings on the board, going through them with a red pencil. Sometimes he laughs to himself while doing this, or shakes his head, or makes ticking noises through his teeth. “Idiot,” he says, or “blockhead.” I stand behind his chair, watching the drawings, and he points out that this person has put the mouth at the wrong end, that person has made no provision for a heart, yet another one cannot tell a male from a female. This is not how I judge the drawings: I find them better or worse depending on the colours.”

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Book:Cat’s Eye
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