“Do you want a ride home?""I rode my bike, and I don't really want to keep it here at the school.""I have a truck, it won't be a problem to throw it into the bed.""Well then, I suppose I don't really have an excuse to say no, do I?""I was going to hold your duffel hostage until you said yes anyway.""Now what has my duffel bag ever done to you?”

“A white lie is not a lie at all. It is where you tell the truth but you do not tell all of the truth. This means that everything you say is a white lie because when someone says, for example, "What do you want to do today?" you say, "I want to do painting with Mrs. Peters," but you don't say, "I want to have my lunch and I want to go to the toilet and I want to go home after school and I want to play with Toby and I want to have my supper”

“They call it love," said Vernon. "I don't know what they mean by it. What do you mean [by love]?""I don't exactly know," said Temple slowly. "I suppose it's wanting to be with a person, and thinking about nothing else. And thinking they're the most beautiful and all that. And going over everything that they've ever said to you, and wanting— Well, I suppose if it's really love you want to marry them.”

“It's true, I love you, and I want you to be happy, I want you to have the life you deserve. And if that means... if that means I have to stand here and watch you walk away, then I'll do it. I won't be happy about it. It'll break my heart. But... if that's what you really need, then we're done.”

“We don't have to go back to my place, Angel. I can take you home, if that's what you want. Or, if you decide you want to sleep at my place, on opposite sides of my bedroom with a Do Not Cross line drawn down the middle, I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll do it.”

“Coraline sighed. 'You really don't understand do you?' she said. 'I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted, just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then?”