Becky Albertalli Quotes

“The air has that crisp, early fall feeling, and people are already lining their steps with pumpkins. I love that. I’ve loved it since I was a kid.”

“I don’t care who you are. Puberty is merciless.”

“And seriously, I can’t even. Because Cal’s bangs. Cal’s eyes.”

“I think, for me, listening to music is a very solitary thing.”

“I’m not leaving, bub. Because you’re going to wallow.”

“Being secure in your masculinity isn’t the same as being straight.”

“They get so curious. It’s like they have this idea of me, and whenever I step outside of that, it blows their minds. There’s something so embarrassing about that in a way I can’t even describe.”

“Middle school is like this endless horror show. Well, maybe not endless, because it ended, but it really burns into your psyche.”

“White shouldn’t be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn’t even be a default.”

“He kisses like Elliott Smith sings.”

“I need to spend some time in my head with this new Simon.”

“Taylor is the enemy of everything awesome.”

“Awkwardness should be a requirement.”

“‘Hi,’ he says, quickly and softly. Like the word belongs to us.”

“I mean, there are times when it’s actually more work not to smile.”

“Why would I want to watch other people kissing when I could be kissing you?”

“But maybe this is a big deal. Maybe it’s a holy freaking huge awesome deal. Maybe I want it to be.”

“All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.”

“My parents have a way of ruining things like this.”

“‘Nice polka dots,’ I say. He smiles. ‘Nice Labradors.’ I mean, he’s cute, so I’ll let it slide, but the dogs on my pants are clearly golden retrievers.”