All That You Leave Behind Quotes

“He told us we had to be careful about who we told our story to, but he wouldn’t let us hide from it ourselves.”

“You should take responsibility for not just the good stuff, but the bad stuff. I have noticed in leadership, in covering people over and over, it’s the people who are capable of taking ownership over failure, and apologizing very directly for their shortcomings, that succeed.”

“If you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll never know what you’re capable of.”

“I even presume to sit at his desk while I write this book, hoping some magical transference will take place and I’ll be gifted, if only for this moment, with his way with words. I feel like a boy trying to fit into his dad’s running shoes.”

“Objects tell us the stories of the people who held them.”

“When I closed my eyes I could hear him saying those things out loud. Whenever I would send him a flare email, his response was always relentlessly positive and made me feel like I was part of a tribe, a team. That someone was taking care of me. I knew, then and now, that this was a rare relationship for a child to have with a parent. For the most part, parents love and want to protect their children, but how many of us really know one another? I wondered what caused this sense of closeness, and I realized I’d never even asked him this.”

“We love being your parents, but we also like being your fellow travelers on this part of the road.”

“Working on your grand plan is like shoveling snow that hasn’t fallen yet. Just do the next right thing.”

“This is what they don’t discuss with you after loss. The rage that bubbles up inside you, creating further divisions in your already fractured self.”

“Excuses—they explain everything and they excuse nothing. Just be honest about what you did wrong, take ownership, and resolve to do better.”

“Just do what is in front of you. Don’t worry about the plot to take over the world. Just do what is in front of you, and do it well. I think that if you concentrate on your plot to take over the world you’re going to miss things.”

“The reward for achievement is a hunger for more, a blessing that lives inside a curse.”

“Love and be good to that person in the mirror and you will love and be good to the people around you.”

“Whenever I would send him a flare email, his response was always relentlessly positive and made me feel like I was part of a tribe, a team. That someone was taking care of me. I knew, then and now, that this was a rare relationship for a child to have with a parent.”

“I started to understand the spasm of grief. Once someone close to you dies, you feel loss more plainly, as it is a part of your everyday experience. It feels crushing as the wave hits you, but then you can see the tide begin to drift in and out again after the storm.”

“We’re all broken, in one way or another. To pretend or expect otherwise is stupid. And when you come up short, just say so, don’t make excuses. Excuses—they explain everything and they excuse nothing. Just be honest about what you did wrong, take ownership, and resolve to do better.”

“What happens to all this stuff when a person is no longer here? The remaining objects are both comforting and devastating, compelling me to sit and stare at them.”

“Once someone close to you dies, you feel loss more plainly, as it is a part of your everyday experience. It feels crushing as the wave hits you, but then you can see the tide begin to drift in and out again after the storm.”

“So many people spend time like their phone right now is burning a hole in their pocket. Like, “Who’s on there? What are they talking about?” And you know what’s going on when you’re thinking about that? Your whole life. Your whole life is going on.”

“Don’t be a know-it-all. Ask the people around you.”