“Any tips for winning?” she’d asked.“Yeah. Do what you gotta do to survive.”“That’s it? Wow. You suck at pep talks.”
“I glared at him. "Matt said he got a pep talk at his test. I don't rate a pep talk?""You want a pep talk?" He made a fist with one hand, then punched it through the air in a victorious motion. "Go get 'em. You've got twenty-eight minutes.""Dude, do not join the pep squad.”
“Wait, that’s your idea? That’s your expert advice? You’re going to tell these novelists to just keep going? You’re going to tell these honest, earnest writers: You gotta have faith? Those are George Michael lyrics, asshole. If they wanted that pep talk, they could just hang out inside a mall elevator.”
“Ask yourself, "what would you do to survive?”
“Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.”
“You have to do what you gotta do in this life in order to do what you wanna do...”