Brian Andreas Quotes & Sayings

You're the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we'd know each other a long time. — Brian Andreas

When I first discovered the moon, he said, I gave it a different name. But everyone kept calling it the moon. The real name never caught on. — Brian Andreas

Life Plan:
I asked her what she planned to do with her life & she said she was way beyond that point already. I'm just happy I remember to be there when it happens, she said. — Brian Andreas

She left pieces of her life behind her everywhere she went. It's easier to feel the sunlight without them, she said. — Brian Andreas

I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either. — Brian Andreas

The Whole World:
My favorite thing
is being your lap
while we sit there
together & love
the whole world. — Brian Andreas

Resorting to connecting the dots this morning because it was a long night & he needs to do something really simple to get started again. — Brian Andreas

Side by Side:
We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together. — Brian Andreas

This is a giant block of whatever is most difficult for you to carry & trust me on this, you'll carry it more times than you can count until you decide that's exactly what you want to do most & then it won't weigh a thing anymore — Brian Andreas

Single Mind:
If I love you with all my heart, she said, what will you give me? & then she stopped & said I didn't have to answer that because she was going to do it anyway. — Brian Andreas

Today all I could remember was the way your body held the ocean of myself & for one moment there was only one us in all creation. — Brian Andreas

I'm an outsider by choice, she said, but I'm hoping that won't be my choice forever. — Brian Andreas

In my dream, the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination
and then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand. — Brian Andreas

I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that. — Brian Andreas

Scent:
When she wore the hat, even many years later, she could always smell her mother's perfume & it was hard to remember she was supposed to be alone. — Brian Andreas

Someone asked them to be quiet, so it's just a matter of a time before all hell breaks loose. — Brian Andreas

If you hold on to the handle, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you. — Brian Andreas

One Child:
I hope it will be said we taught them to stand tall & proud, even in the face of history & the future was made new & whole for us all, one child at a time. — Brian Andreas

Quiet Prayer:
As long as the sun shall rise goes the old lovers vow. But we are children of a scientific age & have no time for poetry. Still, I offer a quiet prayer of thanks for the sunlight each time I see your face. — Brian Andreas

Wrapped around my son with only the knowledge of the words of the world & a quiet remembrance of watching before this all began. — Brian Andreas

More Fair:
They left me
with your shadow,
saying things like
Life is not fair
& I believed them
for a long time.
But today,
I remembered
the way you laughed
& the heat
of your hand
in mine
& I knew that
life is more fair
than we can
ever imagine
if
we are there to live it — Brian Andreas

Your job is to focus on my personal happiness, she said, & I've got big plans, so break time is over. — Brian Andreas

There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by my self. — Brian Andreas

Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. — Brian Andreas

In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed, talking & wondering where the time had gone. — Brian Andreas

The clock is a conspiracy & a crime against humanity
and I would not own one
except I miss appointments without it. — Brian Andreas

These are little packets of light and you need to plant them early in the year and remember to mark where they were because lots of times they look like weeds in the beginning and it's not until later that you see how beautiful they really are. — Brian Andreas

I used to believe my father about everything but then I had children myself & now I see how much stuff you make up just to keep yourself from going crazy. — Brian Andreas

We went to a church that had missionaries who'd come back once a year from Fiji & give talks. I remember one of them saying it was very hard work telling people they were going to lose their everlasting souls if they didn't shape up. I pictured people sitting on the beach listening to this sweaty man all dressed in black telling them they were going to burn in hell & them thinking this was good fun, these scary stories this guy was telling them & afterwards, they'd all go home & eat mango & fish & they'd play Monopoly & laugh & laugh & they'd go to bed & wake up the next day & do it all again. — Brian Andreas

There are some days when no matter what I say it feels like I'm far away in another country & whoever is doing the translating has had far too much to drink. — Brian Andreas

Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life. — Brian Andreas

Secret Notes:
He wrote secret notes to people he hadn't met yet. Some of them aren't even born, he said, but we live in a strange neighborhood & they will need help figuring things out & I won't always be around to explain it to them. — Brian Andreas

My grandma used to plant tomato seedlings in tin cans from tomato sauce & puree & crushed tomatoes she got from the Italian restaurant by her house, but she always soaked the labels off first. I don't want them to be anxious about the future, she said. It's not healthy. — Brian Andreas

I didn't listen to her because she was my mother & wouldn't know anything until I was much older. — Brian Andreas

The most important thing you leave behind is the stuff that turns into treasures when children find it — Brian Andreas

I have too much to lose, she said, if I cross that line. Like what? I said. She could not think of anything that day so she said she'd get back to me. Since then I've been thinking what I would lose if I cross my line & I haven't come up with anything either. There's always another line somewhere. — Brian Andreas

Why do they treat us like children? they said & I said why do you treat them like adults?
& their eyes opened wide & they began to laugh & talk all at once & suddenly everything looked possible again. — Brian Andreas

Don't you hear it? She asked & I shook my head no & then she started to dance & suddenly there was music everywhere & it went on for a very long time & when I finally found words all I could say was thank you. — Brian Andreas

I was waiting for the longest time, she said. I thought you forgot.
It is hard to forget, I said, when there is such an empty space when you are gone. — Brian Andreas

I have a renewed commitment to elegance, she said, in case you think I'm just spending money for the fun of it. — Brian Andreas

She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short. — Brian Andreas

I think my life would be easier, she said,
if I could just get my selves to agree on something.
— Brian Andreas

We sat in the car
& the night dropped
down until the
only sounds were
the crickets &
the dance of our voices
& for a moment
the world became
small enough to
roll back & forth
between us. — Brian Andreas

These are the multiple shadows because there were a lot of things she walked away from without a word of explanation when she was younger & she still thinks about them more than she needs to. — Brian Andreas

I still fly a lot in my dreams, she told us, but I try to stay close to the ground. At my age, a fall can be pretty serious. — Brian Andreas

Such Small Things:
For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever. — Brian Andreas

Real Reason:
There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good. — Brian Andreas

There really is only one story that you need to tell as a scientist or a technologist. It's Prometheus stealing fire. That's it. That's what we do as scientists or technologists. — Brian Andreas

Every day he stood in front of the Bank of America. You're trapped in the belly of a big pink pig, he said. We ignored him. We had work to do. — Brian Andreas

In those days, we finally chose to walk like giants and hold the world in arms grown strong with love
And there may be many things we forget in the days to come,
But this will not be one of them. — Brian Andreas

When I die, she said, I am coming back as a tree with deep roots and I'll wave my leaves to the children every morning on their way to school & whisper tree songs at night in their dreams. Trees with deep roots know about the things that children need. — Brian Andreas

One day, I decided to help wherever I could & it was almost like magic, because I was exactly what the world needed everywhere I went. — Brian Andreas

If you're talking to a child, you're going, 'This is the wonder of science and here's why I'm so fascinated by it.' — Brian Andreas

There are your fog people & your sun people, he said. I said I wasn't sure which kind I was. He nodded. Fog'll do that to you, he said. — Brian Andreas

Is willing to accept that she creates her own reality except for some of the parts where she can't help but wonder what the hell she was thinking — Brian Andreas

I sometimes wake in the early morning & listen to the soft breathing of my child & I think to myself, this is one thing I will never regret & I carry that quiet with me all day long. — Brian Andreas

Finally has figured out there aren't enough quiet little British films around to protect her from the real world — Brian Andreas

Hoping something will happen soon, so she can sit down & watch it with a fresh bowl of popcorn. — Brian Andreas

We sat in the car
& the night dropped
down until the
only sounds were
the crickets &
the dance of our voices

& for a moment
the world became
small enough to
roll back & forth
between us. — Brian Andreas

I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be so it's easier to remember who I am. — Brian Andreas

She tapped her finger and nothing happened and she thought she had lost her magic, but it had only changed and it took her awhile to figure it out. — Brian Andreas

Brian Andreas Promise #1:
Promises to Myself #1: I will tell the truth unless I get confused & I think I could get in real trouble if someone found out, in which case, I will lie as convincingly as possible for as long as I feel the need. — Brian Andreas

I saw them standing there pretending to be just friends, when all the time in the world could not pry them apart. — Brian Andreas

Remember to use positive affirmations. I am not a dork is not one of them. — Brian Andreas

I once had a garden filled with flowers that grew only on dark thoughts but they need constant attention & one day I decided I had better things to do. — Brian Andreas

I am only strong enough for a life of partial virtue. — Brian Andreas

What are the rules? I said & he said you run & you run & you run until you fall over. There's a couple others in there for variety, he added, but that's the main one. — Brian Andreas

If you were smart, you'd probably spend more time stretching, he said & I said, If I were really smart, I'd probably spend more time just sitting in the shade drinking lemonade. — Brian Andreas

I wish you could have been there for the sun & the rain & the long, hard hills. For the sound of a thousand conversations scattered along the road. For the people laughing & crying & remembering at the end. But, mainly, I wish you could have been there. — Brian Andreas

Living Memory
I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together — Brian Andreas

There came a moment in the middle of the song when he suddenly felt every heartbeat in the room & after that he never forgot that he was part of something much bigger — Brian Andreas

I hope someday you see this is all life wants: for you to be your own kind of beautiful & not the kind that makes you forget who you are. — Brian Andreas

Aerobics:
Death take me now & spare me the pain, she said. It was difficult for me to get that excited. Get a grip, I said, it's only aerobics. — Brian Andreas

The birds brought seeds & flowers & bits of brightly colored string & placed them in her hair while she slept so she would remember the wild joy of spring when she finally awoke. — Brian Andreas

Partners:
Tied together by stuff too difficult to explain to someone new — Brian Andreas

Wanting him to come back before anyone notices part of the world has not moved since he left. — Brian Andreas

A few said they'd be horses. Most said they'd be some sort of cat. My friend said she'd like to come back as a porcupine. I don't like crowds, she said. — Brian Andreas

There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time. — Brian Andreas

Smaller World:
I know he's not really gone, she said, but the world still feels smaller to me today. — Brian Andreas

Empty Spaces:
After his father died he carried his life more gently & left an empty space for the birds & other creatures. — Brian Andreas

There was a single blue line of crayon drawn across every wall in the house. What does it mean? I asked. A pirate needs the sight of the sea, he said and then he pulled his eye patch down and turned and sailed away. — Brian Andreas

Perfect Day:
It was a day filled with the glow of ordinary things & we passed them quietly from hand to hand for a long time & someone said she had picked a perfect day to be born & I think all of us felt the same. — Brian Andreas

If there is any secret to this life i live, this is it: the sound of what cannot be seen sings within everything that can. and there is nothing more to it than that. — Brian Andreas

We lay there and looked up at the night sky and she told me about stars called blue squares and red swirls and I told her I'd never heard of them. Of course not, she said, the really important stuff they never tell you. You have to imagine it on your own. — Brian Andreas

Scraps of Magic:
These are little scraps of magic & when you paste them together you get a memory of something fine & strong, she said. Sometimes it takes till you're 40 to see it though. — Brian Andreas

Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life. — Brian Andreas

The Wonder of it All:
Sitting there in your pajamas & all the time in the world & if I could keep any moment it would be this: watching you & holding my breath with the wonder of it all. — Brian Andreas

If you're right & I'm not, I'm going to be hell to live with, she said. So, you better think about that next time you want to be right. — Brian Andreas

Trying to follow in the footsteps of the masters, but it's a lot harder than it looks because even though they had the same size feet as us, they weren't looking down the whole time while they walked to make sure they were doing it right — Brian Andreas

The World Itself:
When she held out her arms, the world itself wrapped around me & held me tight. — Brian Andreas

Songs to Herself:
She waved at all the people on the trains & later, when she saw they didn't wave back, she started singing songs to herself & it went that way the whole day & she couldn't remember having a better time in her life. — Brian Andreas

Season of Joy:
She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end & I said I didn't really think there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till June that year. — Brian Andreas

When she played her music even the night demons stopped their work & it took them some time to remember what it was they were doing & the best of them had no stomach for it for a long time after that. — Brian Andreas

Permanence:
Just because they die, she said, doesn't mean they go away. — Brian Andreas

I buried a nickel under the porch when I was 8, she said, but one day my grandma died & they sold the house & I never got to go back for it.
A nickel used to mean something, I said.
She nodded. It still does, she said & then she started to cry. — Brian Andreas

Hoping to Fall Out:
Leaning out as far as she can, hoping she'll fall soon, so she can stop worrying about whether it will happen or not. — Brian Andreas

Are you a princess? I said & she said I'm much more than a princess, but you don't have a name for it yet here on earth. — Brian Andreas

Start here & go until you die, he said. What's so complicated about that? — Brian Andreas

The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same- — Brian Andreas

I held her close for only a short time, but after she was gone, I'd see her smile on the face of a perfect stranger and I knew she would be there with me all the rest of my days. — Brian Andreas