I'm not really one for sappy. I grew up with a dad whose only rubric for movies has always been, "No sick wives, no dead children." They are areas that have always seemed to be a little bit too depressing for entertainment. So, you can imagine that when a friend suggested that I indulge in the book "The Fault in Our Stars," a love story about two sick, dying children, I was hesitant to oblige. I'm glad that I gave in, because the following quotes were unbelievably moving to me in proving that "The Fault In Our Stars" is far from a book about death -- but very much a book about life. About the people and feelings and principles that make it worth living.
"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them." - "Right, of course. But you keep them anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway."
Understanding the beauty and burden that comes with love.
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"That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt."
And the inescapable truth about running away from pain.
"You die in the middle of your life, in the middle of a sentence."
Learning to cherish every moment.
"Maybe 'okay' will be our always."
That the value applied to a person, a situation, a word...is solely what you make of it.
"You realize that trying to keep your distance from me will not lessen my affection for you."
Knowing in your heart when to be persistent.
"That's why I like you. You are so busy being you that you have no idea how utterly unprecedented you are."
The importance of being loved by someone who knows who they're loving.
"The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives."
Daring to look for meaning everywhere.
"I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."
Loving with conviction.
"And in freedom, most people find sin."
Welcoming this balance of bad into your life.
"The voracious ambition of humans is never sated by dreams coming true, because there is always the thought that everything might be done better and again."
Remembering to be unconditionally grateful for what you do have.
"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."
Looking not for the cloud, but the silver lining...and daring to feel despite any odds against you.
Thank you, John Green. You have an uncanny ability to identify with existing thoughts, and open eyes and hearts to so much more.
