by Stephen Chbosky.- "Dear friend,
I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at the party even though you could have. Please don't try to figure out who she is because then you might figure out who I am, and I don't really want you to do that. I will call people by different names or generic names because I don't want you to find me. I didn't enclose a return address for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest.
I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist." (2)
- "Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve." (24)
- "Bob nodded his head. Patrick then said something I don't think I'll ever forget.
'He's a wallflower.'
And Bob really nodded his head. And the whole room nodded their head. And I started to feel nervous in the Bob way, but Patrick didn't let me get too nervous. He sat down next to me.
'You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.'" (37)
- "Personally, I like to think my brother is having a college experience like they do in movies. I don't mean the big fraternity party kind of movie. More like the movie where the guy meets a smart girl who wears a lot of sweaters and drinks cocoa. They talk about books and issues and kiss in the rain. I think something like that would be very good for him, especially if the girls were unconventionally beautiful. They are the best kind of girls, I think. I personally find 'super models' strange. I don't know why this is." (51)
- "I don't know if it's better to have your kids be happy and not go to college. I don't know if it's better to be close with your daughter or make sure that she has a better life than you do." (59)
- "Sam and Patrick looked at me. And I looked at them. And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend." (66)
- "And I thought that all those little kids were going to grow up someday. And all those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't." (74)
- "And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been heard by other people. And the girl that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you were describing 'unity.'
It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means you're happy too." (96)
- "I didn't feel like reading that night, so I went downstairs and watched a half-hour long commercial that advertised an exercise machine. They kept flashing a 1-800 number, so I called it. The woman who picked up the other end of the phone was named Michelle. And I told Michelle that I was a kid and did not need an excercise machine, but I hoped she was having a good night.
That's when Michelle hung up on me. And I didn't mind a bit." (122)
- "I don't know how much longer I can keep going without a friend. I used to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend was like. It's much easier not to know things sometimes. And to have french fries with your mom be enough." (144)
- "And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter." (179)
- "So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel ok about them." (211)
"Tomorrow, I start my sophomore year of high school. And believe it or not, I'm not really afraid of going. I'm not sure if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to 'participate.'
So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough.
And I will believe the same about you.
Love always,
Charlie" (213)
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