Brad Meltzer Quotes & Sayings

If you think the worst you'll get the worst, but if you think the best ... "
"and then everything will blow up in your face anyway. Don't you get the punchline yet? Its the great cosmic practical joke: Knock knock, who's there? Big kick in the Ass. — Brad Meltzer

Dream big, work hard, stay humble. — Brad Meltzer

There are certain traits that God puts in each of us. There's no escaping them. — Brad Meltzer

I understand pain. I've lived with pain my entire life. But pain is nothing compared to betrayal. And betrayal is nothing compared to knowing that the javelin in your back was rammed there by the one person in your life you actually trusted. — Brad Meltzer

In this world, there was nothing scarier than trusting someone. But there was also nothing more rewarding. — Brad Meltzer

Do you not see that? That's what being family is - that's the best part - it's not tit for tat or who owes more, it's simply - when one hurts, so does the other; when one finds good, you share in that, too. That's family. — Brad Meltzer

We may have heaven and hell in us, but we choose who we are. And who we fight. — Brad Meltzer

History isn't written by the winners - it's written by everyone - it's a jigsaw of facts from contradictory sources. But every once in a while, you unearth that one original document that no one can argue with ... — Brad Meltzer

Sharing education, sharing a book ... that's what changes the world. — Brad Meltzer

It's so damn easy to judge. But as Paolo knows from his niece, no matter how much you want someone back in your life, sometimes it's the letting-them-back-in part that hurts the most — Brad Meltzer

Greatness isn't something you should always be chasing. There's greatness within all of us, and I think that's what we forget, — Brad Meltzer

In this life, y'ever notice that you face the same challenges again and again? We all do. They're challenges to your soul. We repeat them until we face them and master them. Yes we all have free will, but there're divine patterns out there, and the battle is to see them. — Brad Meltzer

But ever since she returned to my life ... life doesn't make complete sense. But it definitely makes more sense than it used to. — Brad Meltzer

Nico was wrong. The Book of Fate isn't already written. It's written every day.
Some scars never heal.
Then again, some do. — Brad Meltzer

I need the kind of help that comes with a side order of help. — Brad Meltzer

your intentions. — Brad Meltzer

History is simply what's behind us. — Brad Meltzer

Women are not weaker. Read that again. Women are not weaker. They are just as strong, just as resolute, just as creative, and are filled with just as much potential as any man. — Brad Meltzer

The turkeys get you down. He then slipped the note into — Brad Meltzer

That was the problem with being desperate. It always made you sloppy. — Brad Meltzer

There are some people in your life who bring back old memories. And there are others - your first kiss, your first love, your first sex - who, the moment you see them, bring a spark ... and something far more potent. They bring back your old life and with that, potential. And possibilities. And the feeling that if you were back in that time, life could be so very different from where you're stuck right now. That's the most tantalizing thing ... I want my potential back. — Brad Meltzer

Pam described herself as the person in fifth grade who got left behind when her friends got popular. — Brad Meltzer

She wasn't tracking down her father to learn more about him. She was tracking him down to learn more about herself. — Brad Meltzer

Life is filled with trapdoors. — Brad Meltzer

The only thing worse than remembering the past is the fear of reliving it. — Brad Meltzer

The point is, as death gets closer - what's so wrong with wanting someone you love to live forever? — Brad Meltzer

When you go down a dark alley and you feel that tingling across the back of your neck, that's not just a bad feeling, that's a biological gift from God - the Gift of Fear ... when you ignore that gift - when you go down the dark alley and say, Y'know, I'm sure it'll be okay - that's when you find real pain. — Brad Meltzer

Some people need coffee; I need the outdoors. — Brad Meltzer

For me, Superman's greatest contribution has never been the superhero part: it's the Clark Kent part - the idea that any of us, in all our ordinariness, can change the world. — Brad Meltzer

We all hate something from our past, Cal. That's why we run from it, or compensate for it, or even fill our van with homeless people. But when something like this happens-when your dad shows up-maybe there is a bigger purpose. 'What you intended for evil, God intended for good.' Genesis 50:20 — Brad Meltzer

She dumped me for the worst reason of all. For absolutely no reason at all ... I mean, if she fell in love with someone else, or I did something wrong, or I let her down in some unforgivable way ... That, I'd understand, right? But instead, she said ... it wasn't anything. Not a single thing. It was just me. I was nice. I was kind. We just ... she didn't see the connection anymore. I think she thought I was boring. And the cruelest part is, when someone says something mean about you, you know when they're right. — Brad Meltzer

But to me, the most important page in my daughter's book is the last one - because it's blank. It says 'Your Hero's Photo Here,' and 'Your Hero's Story Here.' — Brad Meltzer

You need to understand something Cal-in this world, we're not humans having a divine experience. We're divine beings having a human experience. — Brad Meltzer

No civilian has been allowed to see the gold in Fort Knox since 1974, nearly 40 years ago. — Brad Meltzer

As I tell my daughter, when you want something in life - no matter how impossible it seems - you need to fight for it. — Brad Meltzer

His pink tongue lolling happily from his mouth. — Brad Meltzer

Life delivers far less disappointment when your expectations are low. — Brad Meltzer

As your father, my instinct is to protect you ... Other people will want to protect you too. But remember that you are not a damsel in distress, waiting for some prince to rescue you. Forget the prince. With your brain and your resourcefulness, you can rescue yourself. — Brad Meltzer

Not every President is a great speaker. Not every President is a great thinker. But in the modern era, every single President is a master of one thing: eye contact. — Brad Meltzer

Some dreams linger for years.
And some last forever. — Brad Meltzer

History is a selection process - it chooses moments and events, and even people - it hands them a situation that they shouldn't be able to overcome, and it's in those moments, in that fight, that people find out who they are. — Brad Meltzer

A little threat of evil is always the far better way to fill the seats. But sometimes the monsters aren't who we think they are. — Brad Meltzer

The worst lies in life are the ones we tell ourselves. — Brad Meltzer

There's nothing in the world like buried treasure-and people hungry and obsessed enough to risk their lives for it. Pirate Hunters isn't just a good story-it's a true one. Searching for the souls of its explorers, it takes you to the far tip of the plank and plunges you deep to the bottom of the ocean. — Brad Meltzer

Most archivists don't like surprises. That's why we work in the past. — Brad Meltzer

Haven't you ever played Uno? ... Sometimes you have to lose all your cards to win. — Brad Meltzer

None of us are who we are on our very worst days," he adds. "I know you know that. — Brad Meltzer

There is no better place to plot the death of a character than when you're miserable and working out. — Brad Meltzer

People are more twisted than people think. — Brad Meltzer

Onto the unpaved dirt road that runs toward the — Brad Meltzer

So much harm comes into this world when the wrong thing is said. But that's nothing compared to the pain from what goes unsaid. — Brad Meltzer

Today, I don't believe in destiny. But I do believe in history ... There's nothing more powerful than history ... — Brad Meltzer

Not the bravest. Or the most daring. In Dr. Moorcraft's words, the greatest secret of the Plankholders was simply that, to the best of the army's assessment, they were the ones who cared about no one but themselves. — Brad Meltzer

Never forget, the greatest battle we'll ever face is the battle within ourselves. — Brad Meltzer

Can I tell you something ... ? I don't think you're in love with the past. I think you're scared of the future. — Brad Meltzer

On the day my daughter was born, I started writing a book for her. The plan was that, over the course of her life, I'd fill it with advice on how to be a strong woman. But along the way, I got caught up in the stories of Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, and so many others. So how do you pick the best heroes for your kids? — Brad Meltzer

Here's what I love: I love sitting at my desk, staring at the blank screen, and beginning that conversation with my imaginary friends. — Brad Meltzer

Take it from the former pastor: The true believers are the ones who'll burn you the worst. — Brad Meltzer

My sleep that night was restless and unquiet, haunted by the ungodly howls of the horrible creature. Its yellow eyes lingered in my mind's eye as I awoke the next morning, — Brad Meltzer

They can also be as manipulative as a James Taylor song. Sure, they're calming and bring you to a good place-but at their core, the whole goal of the damn thing is to undo you. — Brad Meltzer

Some people help thousands of people directly, like Marie Curie or Susan B. Anthony. Others help us by inspiring us, like Amelia Earhart. But you do have to help someone. — Brad Meltzer

There is a fine line between a carefree spirit and a fear of failure — Brad Meltzer

Stories aren't the beauty of what did happen. They're the beauty of what could happen. — Brad Meltzer

Be daring, be daring, always be daring. There is no big dream unless you dream big. — Brad Meltzer

If I've learned one thing over the years, it's that every person you encounter brings out a different part of you. — Brad Meltzer

Remember, just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's impossible. — Brad Meltzer

When you believe in something, fight for it. And when you see injustice, fight harder than you've ever fought before. — Brad Meltzer

We're all being tested...That's what life is. — Brad Meltzer

And more than that, the United States of America was a whole new type of nation. Nothing like America had ever been tried before in the history of the world. — Brad Meltzer

There's the life you live and the life you leave behind. but what you share with someone else - especially someone you love - that's not just how you bury your past. It's how you write you future. — Brad Meltzer

We make a great bad guy, and they all say they hate us. But at the end of every day, people want to trust us. Because we're their government. And people trust their government. — Brad Meltzer

Since the moment I saw her yesterday, I've been looking through the sparkly prism of exhilaration that comes with any old flame. But now, for the first time, I'm not just seeing what I want. I'm seeing what my friend needs. — Brad Meltzer

History doesn't choose individual people. History chooses everyone. Every day. The only question is: How long will you ignore the call? — Brad Meltzer

I played Little League for one year. That was it. Then my mother realized I liked books and threatened my father. I owe her forever for that. — Brad Meltzer

The past may not hurt you, but it won't challenge you, either. — Brad Meltzer

Do you know the real secret of how Presidents become Presidents?" Before I can answer, he explains, "It's because they're good at getting people to do things for them. In fact, they're not just good at it. They're maestros. Virtuosos. To get that title of President, you need thousands of people doing thousands of different things, all for your benefit. It's a massive churning machine. And y'know what feeds that machine?" he asks. "People like you, Beecher. It's fed with your life, and your family, and your reputation. Because when things go wrong ... and they always go wrong ... the President isn't allowed to have that skunk smell around him. So when that happens, he doesn't just replace you. He crumples you up, tosses you out back, and ... chomp goes the woodchipper. — Brad Meltzer

Our fathers never leave us. Ever. — Brad Meltzer

You tell them - you tell them there's a cost ... Every decision we make in life, there's always a cost. — Brad Meltzer

I spend every day showing people the power of history. But history only has the power you give it. — Brad Meltzer

In moments of crisis, the reason people say that things move in slow motion is that the brain is struggling to process too much information at once. As a result, the brain slows it all down to digest each bit of emotion, pain, and reality. — Brad Meltzer

There's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood. And understanding someone else. — Brad Meltzer

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. — Brad Meltzer

It's the worst part of seeing old friends: when your rose-colored memories become undone by reality. — Brad Meltzer

Life takes time. Death, however, reveals itself in an instant. — Brad Meltzer

Don't go to eighth grade ... don't talk about something old ... don't bring up old memories that have nothing to do with who we are now. THIS is all that matters! TODAY. — Brad Meltzer

Y'know what they call the person who does all the work but gets none of the credit? An opportunity. — Brad Meltzer

our work's reactive: In the — Brad Meltzer

The juice. All I'm asking is that you keep it away from this gossip woman, because if that story runs tomorrow and Ellen sees it - There's a click on my phone. — Brad Meltzer

When I was in that danger ... I felt like I was shaken awake ... after everything she made me feel ... I made a decision and went to sleep. Do you know what that's like - trying to go to sleep, and lose yourself in the hopes of burying the worst fears in your life? ... I wasn't in love with the past. I was terrified of my own future. — Brad Meltzer

Lust: Which senator once reached for a handkerchief in his pocket and proceeded to wipe his brow with a pair of women's panties? — Brad Meltzer

Don't you know me by now, Angel? I never do what I'm meant for. — Brad Meltzer

Overwatch doesn't just bring together the legal and espionage genres. It merges family problems with professional ones, swirls in a major helping of murder and mayhem, and with a deft touch, reminds us why politics is-always-perso nal. — Brad Meltzer

No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us. — Brad Meltzer

Ice cream is my vice. — Brad Meltzer

And y'know what they decided the number one threat was? The destructive and disruptive capability of a small group. That's what they're worried about most ... they're terrified of a small group with a committed goal. — Brad Meltzer

We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day. — Brad Meltzer

Sometimes a speech can make things better. This isn't one of those times. — Brad Meltzer

Immaculate Deception. — Brad Meltzer

Winston Churchill quote, the one where he says, Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense? — Brad Meltzer

It's far easier to judge others than to judge yourself. — Brad Meltzer