“Because that’s what art is; that’s what it does. It breaks your heart. It moves you. If it doesn’t do that, forget it. It’s not worth it.”

“And you know, that’s another reason I named her Coco. Because to me, chocolate is about indulging in things that give you pleasure. And what’s the point of life if you can’t find joy?”

“What do people want? Well, you really can’t talk about wants until you talk about needs.”

“You don’t have to know what you want to be. That comes later. But I want you to know what you want to be. That comes later. But I want you to want more than just having a job and muddling through life. I want you to find a passion you believe in strongly enough to risk humiliation and rejection.”

“Art has to ask questions and make you care. Nothing I saw elicited even the slightest emotional response. But maybe that was the point. Maybe love was impossible in the postdigital age. Maybe passion was passé.”

“P.S. Nothing personal, but I think this journal assignment is a waste of time. I know I have to do something to make up for all the work I'm missing at school, but I HATE busywork. And that's what this journal thing is. Half the teachers at school assign work they never read. When we get stupid assignments like that, I always write somewhere on my paper "blah blah blah" or "I bet you're not even reading this," are you? or "Give me a sign if you're reading this." They never are.”

“Is that what I wanted? To be in the middle of something complicated and dramatic? To be a cheerleader for someone else’s romance? Or to have a romance of my own?”