Antony John

“I bit my lip. 'Come on then, you dirty old man.' I stepped forward and smacked a kiss on Baz's lips. He looked petrified. The secretary looked horrified. I felt vindicated. 'Run along now, Daddy.' I said.”

“Not at all. It's why people come. They say it's about looking smart, or beautiful, or professional, but it's not. Gray-haired ladies try to recapture their former brunette. Brunettes want to go blond. Other women go for colors that don't arise innature. Each group thinks it's completely different than the others, but I don't see it that way. I've watched them looking at themselves in the mirror, and they're not interested in conforming or rebelling, they just want to walk out of here feeling like themselves again.”

“How did he keep playing when money gotreally tight, and there was no more food in the house? How did he play on when it became clear he was flunking out of school? Was music really enough when the whole world seemed to be collapsing around him? Or was it just the only thing left?”

“For thirty minutes I sat back and felt the glimmer of pride that historically precedes the most catastrophic falls.”

“Luke, some truly idiotic people have said some truly inspired things. Are we supposed to ignore their words because they couldn't live up to them?”

“Hey, O Holy One, if the only people you want to read your book are the ones who already agree with everything in it, what was your point in the first place? Isn't the goal to reach non-believers?”

“COOL·NESS [KOOL-NIS] -nounCATCHING your mom gazing at the crazy crowd like she finally gets itWATCHING your dad head-banging like he’s Finn’s twin brotherLEARNING that your new friends Tash and Kallie are a thousand times more complicated than you realized, and loving them for itFEELING every one of your boyfriend’s pounding drumbeats, and thinking it’s the most romantic music ever writtenREALIZING you’re completely unique . . . even in a crowd”

“He was depressed. He was addicted to heroin. And I think there comes a time when all the beauty in the world just isn’t enough.”

“He cupped my face between his hands, and when our lips touched, his skin felt soft and warm. It was the smallest,gentlest, most earth-shattering kiss in the long and glorious history of kisses, and it took my breath away.”

“They need to practice harder," he said. 'If they're really going to do this, they need to work much harder.''They will," I assured him. 'But they got better, right?'Baz laughed. 'Are you going to stand in front of them during their gigs too? If so, make sure you get equal billing. People will pay a lot to see the girl with the broom.”

“It's so much easier to let people down than to stay strong.”

“Realizing you're completely unique... even in a crowd”

“Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.”