I wanted a perfect ending. . . . Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. . . . Delicious ambiguity.
—Gilda Radner
Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: Am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth what I paid?
—Richard Bach
It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.
—Lucille Ball
There are two types of people — those who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are.
—Frederick L. Collins
You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.
—Thomas Wolfe
Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.
—Erma Bombeck
Fame is vapor, popularity an accident; riches take wings. Only one thing endures, and that is character.
—Horace Greeley
Fame will go by and, so long; I've had you, fame. I've always known it was fickle. So at least it's something I experienced, but that's not where I live.
—Marilyn Monroe
Just because we aren't crying on the outside doesn't mean we aren't completely wrecked on the inside.
—Rachel Van Dyken
It's weird. I never knew how much I had to hate about myself until I had the time to think about it.
—Jason Myers in Exit Here
There are only so many times you can handle heartbreak with someone before you have to start protecting yourself.
—Molly McAdams in From Ashes
Big deal. So you fell in love with someone. Don't you see what happened? This guy touched a place in your heart deeper than you thought you were capable of reaching, I mean, you got zapped. But that love you felt, that's just the beginning. You just got a taste of love. That's just limited little rinky-dink mortal love. Wait till you see how much more deeply you can love than that.
—Elizabeth Gilbert in Love
You can change the place you live, your clothes, your interests, your friends, your religion and even your partner. However, if you forgot to change your mind, attitude, beliefs about the world, how you treat people and how you plan to be different this time around, why did you even bother?
—Shannon L. Alder
Is that what you wanted? That I be gone for good, rather than just mad for a little while?
—Sarah Dessen in Just Listen