Yes, I am 20 years old. And yes, my favorite author is a young adult author. But, let's face it: Sarah Dessen is a genius with words, and she makes you feel things through her writing that you never knew you were feeling.

Even though I am a few years past the "young adult" age limit, Sarah Dessen is my favorite author. She is an amazing author and I really don't think that the messages in her books are strictly YA focused.

Dessen is the author that sparked my interest for writing fiction. I picked up my first Dessen novel - I think it was The Truth About Forever - at a book fair. (Yes, I was that kind of kid that spent hours on a Saturday or Sunday at a book fair, hoping to pick up at least 1 good book but usually ending up with bags full of them). Her stories were all so different in their plot lines, but somehow, I connected with all of them - I felt like I was in the story with the characters. Now that is a sign of a good writer.

Now, here are some quotes that have either impacted me, quotes that I thought were interesting to read, or ones that I connected with:

"You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together."

"That's the thing, though. You always think you want to be noticed. Until you are.”

“Just because a person isn't talking about something doesn't mean it's not on their mind. Often, in fact, it's why they won't speak of it.”

“It was a weird kind of loneliness, feeling that some of my closest friends didn’t actually know I existed.”

Saint Anything

“You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it.”

“I don't believe in failure, because simply by saying you've failed, you've admitted you attempted. And anyone who attempts is not a failure. Those who truly fail in my eyes are the ones who never try at all. The ones who sit on the couch and whine and moan and wait for the world to change for them.”

Keeping the Moon

"Music is a total constant. That's why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else has changed in you or the world, that one song stays the same, just like that moment."

Just Listen

“You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It's not overrated. There's a reason for all those songs.”

“Everything, in the end, comes down to timing. One second, one minute, one hour could make all the difference.”

“She fell, she hurt, she felt. She lived. And for all the tumble of her experiences, she still had hope. Maybe this next time would do the trick. Or maybe not. But unless you stepped into the game, you would never know.”

"Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.”

“Right now, though, I wanted not to think forward or backward, but only to lose myself in the words.”

“I can say I made a lot of mistakes, but I don't regret things. Because at least I didn't spend a life standing outside, wondering what living would be like.”

This Lullaby

“I was running from one problem or place to another, with no time left to study, or sleep, or just breathe. I felt pulled in all directions, fighting to keep all these obligations circling in the air above me. It was only a matter of time before something fell.”

"I had so many If Onlys, but each place I thought to stop meant missing something that came later. I needed it all, in the end, to make my own story find its finish.”

Dreamland

“That was the thing. You never got used to it, the idea of someone being gone. Just when you think it's reconciled, accepted, someone points it out to you, and it just hits you all over again, that shocking.”

“I like flaws. I think they make things interesting.”

"Sometimes we put up walls, not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to knock them down."

"But I'd long ago learned not to be picky in farewells. They weren't guaranteed or promised. You were lucky, more than blessed, if you got a good-bye at all.”

The Truth About Forever

“It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered--so many locks not enough keys.”

Lock and Key

“It shouldn't be easy to be amazing. Then everything would be. It's the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth. When something's difficult to come by, you'll do that much more to make sure it's even harder―or impossible―to lose."

“What do you do when you finally hear everything you've always thought said aloud?”

Along for the Ride

Dessen's books are the kind of books that once I read one, I had to get them all. I now officially own every single one of her publications. Like I said, she's my favorite! And thanks to my list of favorite Dessen quotes, you're probably thinking: "Where can I get my hands on one of her books?"

Reagan Fleming