Stephen Chbosky Quotes & Sayings

But at one point, Craig was talking about something, and Sam turned to me and smiled. It was a movie smile in slow motion, and then everything was okay. — Stephen Chbosky

And I could see this boy doing his homework and thinking about my sister naked. And I could see them holding hands at football games that they do not watch. And I could see this boy throwing up in the bushes at a party house. And I could see my sister putting up with it. And I felt very bad for both of them. — Stephen Chbosky

I really think that everyone should have watercolors, magnetic poetry, and a harmonica. — Stephen Chbosky

I'm going to tell Mom and Dad, you know?"
"No, you're not." God, I couldn't stop laughing.

When my sister thought about it for a second, I think she figured out why she wouldn't tell Mom or Dad. It's like she suddenly remembered where we were and what had just happened and how crazy our whole conversation was considering all that. Then, she started laughing. — Stephen Chbosky

I would give someone a record so they could love the record, not so they would always know that I gave it to them. — Stephen Chbosky

Some kids look at me strange in the hallways because I don't decorate my locker, ... — Stephen Chbosky

It's strange how things can change back as suddenly as they changed originally. When one thing happens and suddenly, things are back to normal. — Stephen Chbosky

I love my mom so much. I don't care if that's corny to say. I think on my next birthday, I'm going to buy her a present. I think that should be a tradition. The kid gets gifts from everybody, and he buys one present for his mom since she was there, too. It think that would be nice. — Stephen Chbosky

I wonder if that's a small price to pay for being a legend. — Stephen Chbosky

It's much easier not to know things sometimes. — Stephen Chbosky

Writing screenplays is incredibly hard. I can't call it joy. Writing Novels? Joy. Directing? Joy. Writing Screenplays? That's where you pay all your dues. — Stephen Chbosky

I wanted to laugh. Or maybe get mad. Or maybe shrug at how strange everyone was, especially me. — Stephen Chbosky

I sat down and tried to write a story.
"Ian MacArthur is a wonderful sweet fellow who wears glasses and peers out of them with delight."
That was the first sentence. The problem was that I just couldn't think of the next one. After cleaning my room three times, I decided to leave Ian alone for a while because I was starting to get mad at him. — Stephen Chbosky

Do you always think this much, Charlie?" "Is that bad?" "Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life." "Is that bad?" "Yes. — Stephen Chbosky

I just want you to know that you're very special ... and the only reason I'm telling you is that I don't know if anyone else ever has. — Stephen Chbosky

Have you ever done that? You feel really bad, and then it goes away, and you don't know why. — Stephen Chbosky

As I was walking up the stairs to dad's old room, and I was looking at the photographs, I started thinking that there was a time when these weren't memories. That someone actually took the photograph, and the people in the photograph had just eaten lunch or something. — Stephen Chbosky

I was in my bed trying to figure out why sometimes you can wake up and go back to sleep and other times you can't — Stephen Chbosky

I read an article about Nirvana on one visit, and it didn't have any references to honey mustard dressing or lettuce. They kept talking about the singer's stomach problems all the time, though. It was weird. — Stephen Chbosky

To tell you the truth I love Sam. It's not a movie kind of love either. I just look at her sometimes and I think she is the prettiest and nicest person in the whole world. — Stephen Chbosky

If you ever do this again, I'll tell everyone. And if that doesn't work, I'll blind you. — Stephen Chbosky

There's something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It's glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it's dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades to nothing because the waves just can't reach. Then, you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance. — Stephen Chbosky

Go for the knees, throat, and eyes
And I did. And I really hurt Sean. And then I started crying. — Stephen Chbosky

I was in the shopping mall because that's where I go lately. For the last couple of weeks, I've been going there every day, trying to figure out why people go there. It's kind of a personal project. — Stephen Chbosky

It was the look on her face when she said it. And how much she meant it. It suddenly made everything seem like it really was. I felt terrible. Just terrible. — Stephen Chbosky

Do you enjoy holidays with your family? I don't mean your mom and dad family, but your uncle and aunt and cousin family? Personally, I do. There are several reasons for this. First, I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other. Second, the fights are always the same. — Stephen Chbosky

Dear Friend,
I'm sorry I haven't written to you in a couple of weeks, but I have been trying to 'participate' like Bill said. — Stephen Chbosky

Old pictures look very rugged and young, and the people in the photographs always seem a lot happier than you are. — Stephen Chbosky

Personally, I like to think my brother is having a college experience like they do in the movies. I don't mean the big fraternity party kind of movie. More like the movie where the guy meets a smart girl who wears a lot of sweaters and drinks cocoa. They talk about books and issues and kiss in the rain. I think something like that would be very good for him, especially if the girl were unconventionally beautiful. They are the best kind of girls, I think. I personally find 'super models' strange. I don't know why this is. — Stephen Chbosky

Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and we felt young in a good way. — Stephen Chbosky

Her whisper smelled like cranberry juice and vodka. — Stephen Chbosky

Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again. And that was enough for me. — Stephen Chbosky

It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means that you're happy, too. — Stephen Chbosky

My mom chooses her battles carefully, and I can tell you one thing about my family. When my mom does say something, she always gets her way. — Stephen Chbosky

I mean it's not like in the movies where girls like assholes or anything like that. It's not that easy. They just like somebody that can give them a purpose. — Stephen Chbosky

My sister was the one who told me where babies come from. My sister was also the one who laughed when I immediately asked her where babies go to. — Stephen Chbosky

Following is a rant by a confused crazy kid (the protagonist), where he references some movie scene but by the end there is some deep philosophy ( in the last paragraph)
There was this one part where the main character, who is this architect, is sitting on a boat with his best friend, who is a newspaper tycoon. And the newspaper tycoon says that the architect is a very cold man. The architect replies that if the boat were sinking, and there was only room in the lifeboat for one person, he would gladly give up his life for the newspaper tycoon. And then he says something like this ...
"I would die for you. But I won't live for you."
Something like that. I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that is what makes people "participate." I'm not really certain. — Stephen Chbosky

Patrick used to be popular, until Sam bought him some good music. — Stephen Chbosky

You ever think Charlie, that our group is the same as any other group like a football team? And the only real difference between us is what we wear and why we wear it? — Stephen Chbosky

Bill looks different without a suit. He was wearing his old graduate school T-shirt. Which was Brown. The school. Not the color. His girlfriend was wearing sandals and a nice flowered dress. She even had hair under her arms. No kidding! — Stephen Chbosky

This was a different kind of crying — Stephen Chbosky

I just don't want you to worry about me, or think you've met me, or waste your time anymore. — Stephen Chbosky

calls her beautiful, but she cannot hear... — Stephen Chbosky

My grandfather always says is "too dry" even if it's soup. — Stephen Chbosky

It's like he would take a photograph of Sam, and the photograph
would be beautiful. And he would think that the reason the
photograph was beautiful was because of how he took it. If I took
it, I would know that the only reason it's beautiful is because of
Sam. — Stephen Chbosky

Then, I started running. And everything was as good as it could be. — Stephen Chbosky

I'm trying not to think about it too much because that makes it worse. It's kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where none of it seems real. I can do that, but I don't need an hour in front of a mirror. It happens very fast, and things start to slip away. — Stephen Chbosky

He was the boy that made mix tapes with themes and hand-colored covers until the day he hit my sister and stopped crying. — Stephen Chbosky

I wonder what my speech would be. — Stephen Chbosky

That scared me a lot. It scared me how much it scared me. Being punished for something you did not do. Or being an innocent victim. It's just something that I never want to experience. — Stephen Chbosky

I guess I'm pretty emotional. — Stephen Chbosky

What about when someone doesn't need a shoulder? What if they need the arms? — Stephen Chbosky

Regardless, I decided to never take LSD again. — Stephen Chbosky

Every time I see this one particular movie star on a magazine, I can't help but feel terribly sorry for her because nobody respects her at all, and yet they keep interviewing her. And the interviews are all the same thing.
They start with what food they are eating in some restaurant. "As _ gingerly munched her Chinese Chicken Salad, she spoke of love." And all the covers say the same thing: "_ gets to the bottom of stardom, love, and his/her hit new movie/television show/album."
I think it's nice for stars to do interviews to make us think they are just like us, but to tell you the truth, I get the feeling that it's all a big lie. The problem is I don't know who's lying. — Stephen Chbosky

I'm just thinking too fast-- much too fast. — Stephen Chbosky

The fact that one of these ladies was my mom made me particularly sad because my mom is beautiful. And she's always on a diet. Sometimes, my dad calls her beautiful, but she cannot hear him. — Stephen Chbosky

So, that's what I'm doing until I meet a friend here. I was hoping that the kid who told the truth could become a friend of mine, but I think he was just being a good guy by telling. — Stephen Chbosky

Bob says that when you're alone, and you light a cigarette, and the cigarette is only half way lit that means someone is thinking about you.
He also says that when you find a penny, it's only "lucky" if it's heads-up.
He says the best thing to do is find a lucky penny when you're with someone and give the other person goodluck ". — Stephen Chbosky

Sometimes, I look outside, and I think that a lot of other people have seen this snow before. Just like I think that a lot of other people have read those books before. And listened to those songs.
I wonder how they feel tonight. — Stephen Chbosky

I wonder what it will be like when I leave this place. — Stephen Chbosky

I think on my next birthday, I'm going to buy her a present. I think that should be the tradition. The kid gets gifts from everybody, and he buys one present for his mom since she was there, too. I think that would be nice. — Stephen Chbosky

I was last. Sam walked up and held me for a long time. Finally she whispered in my ear. She said a lot of wonderful things about how it was okay that i wasn't ready last night and how she would miss me and how she wanted me to take care of myself while she was gone.
"You're my bestfriend," was all i could say in return. — Stephen Chbosky

I wasn't raised very religiously because my parents went to Catholic school, but I do believe in God very much. I just never gave God a name, if you know what I mean. I hope I haven't let Him down regardless. — Stephen Chbosky

I just reminded myself that she didn't say it mean. She wasn't making fun of me. She wasn't comparing. Or criticizing. — Stephen Chbosky

After I finished, I just laid around in my bed, looking at the ceiling, and I smiled because it was a nice kind of quiet. — Stephen Chbosky

I'm caught between trying to live my life, and trying to run from it. — Stephen Chbosky

the magazine compared him with John Lennon from the Beatles. I told that to Sam later, and she got really mad. She said he was like Jim Morrison if he was like anybody, but really, he isn't like anybody but himself. — Stephen Chbosky

We just want her to know that we miss her, and we think of her, and she was special. — Stephen Chbosky

Patrick started running after the sunset. And Sam immediately followed him. And I saw them in silhouette. Running after the sun. — Stephen Chbosky

Bridget who is crazy said that sometimes she thought about suicide when commercials come on during TV. She was sincere and this puzzled the guidance counselors. — Stephen Chbosky

It's okay to feel things. And be who you are about them. — Stephen Chbosky

It's like my very first memory, which I guess is the first time I was aware that I was alive. — Stephen Chbosky

There is nothing like taking deep breaths after laughing that hard. — Stephen Chbosky

I found, through the process of doing 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower,' that I really love directing movies and I love writing books and so this will become the centerpiece of my career for the next ten or twenty years. Doing these adaptations. — Stephen Chbosky

The inside jokes weren't jokes anymore. They had become stories. Nobody brought up the bad names or the bad times. And nobody felt sad as long as we could postpone tomorrow with more nostalgia. — Stephen Chbosky

It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder? What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things."
"Like what?" I asked. My mouth was dry.
"I don't know. Like take their hands when the slow song comes up for a change. Or be the one who asks someone for a date. Or tell people what you need. Or what you want. — Stephen Chbosky

you accept the love you think you deserve — Stephen Chbosky

And because I don't want to start thinking again — Stephen Chbosky

Then, I turned around and walked to my room and closed my door and put my head under my pillow and let the quiet put things where they are supposed to be. — Stephen Chbosky

And I closed my eyes because I wanted to know nothing but her arms. — Stephen Chbosky

Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense. — Stephen Chbosky

I've been trying hard to not be a loser. — Stephen Chbosky

It takes seven years to digest gum. — Stephen Chbosky

If the right thing came along, I would absolutely direct something I did not write because I love the process so much, but we'll see. I'm taking it day by day. — Stephen Chbosky

As we all know, when you're an athlete things are a little bit easier for you. It didn't mean that what was going on inside my heart wasn't a bit of a thunderstorm, but outwardly I got along ok. I was really shy in seventh grade. — Stephen Chbosky

We were infinite — Stephen Chbosky

And this one kid Mark at the party who gave me this come out of nowhere and looked at the sky and told me to see the stars. So, I looked up, and we were in this giant dome like a glass snowball and Mark said that the amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. — Stephen Chbosky

I would make the movie industry more like the television industry. TV is more material driven. In TV, you can break new stars. TV can take more chances. — Stephen Chbosky

He says when you're smoking a cigarette with someone, and you have a lighter, you should light their cigarette first. But if you have matches, you should light your cigarette first, so you breathe in the 'harmful sulfur' instead of them. He says it's the polite thing to do. He also says it's bad luck to have "three on a match." He heard that from his uncle who fought in Vietnam. Something about how three cigarettes was enough time for the enemy to know where you are. Bob says that when you're alone, and you light a cigarette, and the cigarette is only halfway lit that means someone is thinking about you. — Stephen Chbosky

If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it, too. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me. — Stephen Chbosky

Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it's no excuse. — Stephen Chbosky

I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with someone even if they could have. I need to know these people exist. — Stephen Chbosky

I want to be an author/director and I'm writing my second book now and I want to make a movie of it, and I hope I get to do this for the rest of my life. — Stephen Chbosky

Some people really do have it a lot worse than I do. They really do. — Stephen Chbosky

She was being like those bratty girls in movies from the 1980s, and my mom kept saying "Young Lady" after every sentence. — Stephen Chbosky

Everyone else is either asleep or having sex. I've been watching cable television and eating jello. — Stephen Chbosky

You should tell her how nice
her outfit is because her outfit is her choice whereas her face isn't. — Stephen Chbosky

Please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And i will always believe the same about you. — Stephen Chbosky

I hate you." I love you." You're a freak, you know that? Everyone says so. They always have." I'm trying not to be. — Stephen Chbosky

I know that I brought this all on myself. I know that I deserve this. I'd do anything not to be this way. I'd do anything to make it up to everyone. And to not have to see a psychiatrist, who explains to me about being passive aggressive. — Stephen Chbosky