“I just think if you don't say the honest thing, sometimes the honest thing never becomes true, you know, and I-”

“If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.”

“Her hair is ridiculous," I said."I know. That was the only thing I said about her that was true. When you say nasty things about people, you should never say the true ones, because you can't really fully and honestly take those back, you know? I mean, there are highlights. And there are streaks. And then there are skunk stripes.”

“When you say nasty things about people, you should never say the true ones, because you can't really fully and honestly take those back..”

“Also, it was a bit hopeless," he said. "A bit defeatist.""If by defeatist you mean honest, then I agree.""I don't think defeatism is honest, " Dad answered. "I refuse to accept that.”

“I don't think you can ever fill the empty space with the thing you lost.”

“That’s what I was thinking about before you came. I was thinking about your mattering business. I feel like, like, how you matter is defined by the things that matter to you. You matter as much as the things that matter to you do. And I got so backwards, trying to make myself matter to him. All this time, there were real things to care about: real, good people who care about me, and this place. It’s so easy to get stuck. You just get caught in being something, being special or cool or whatever, to the point where you don’t even know why you need it; you just think you do.”“You don’t even know why you need to be world-famous; you just think you do.”