“What you see is kinda what you get with me. I'm a very real person, or I hope to be, anyway. I don't have nothing to hide”

“There's nothing wrong with Sam," I said again. "He's...nice."Mercy groaned. "You mean he was too nice, don't you?""I'm not used to people being so nice to me. It was kinda creepy.""I'm gonna offer you some advice," Mercy said, leaning in closer to me. "When a boy is a gentleman to you and is actually nice, Amerie, you don't shoot him down. You don't call them creepy and chase them away! God, I don't know what to do with you.""Stop trying?" I offered hopefully.""Not a chance.”

“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.”

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

“People are always trying to tell you how they feel. Some of them say it outright, and some of them, they tell you with their actions. And you have to listen. I don't know what will happen with your lady friend. I think she's a nice person, and I hope you get what you want. But do me a favor: Listen, and don't ignore what you hear.”

“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't. I quite literally can't. Because, don't you see, what I know is what I am? And I can't tell you that. You have to find it out for yourself. I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about. I don't know what I'm about.”