Palacio Quotes & Sayings

It is always brave to be kind. — R.J. Palacio

She picked up a different photo from the nightstand and handed it to me to look at. At first, I thought it was just another copy of the class picture, because it was exactly the same size as the class picture Dad had in his hands, and everything in it was exactly the same. I started to look away in disgust, but Mom pointed to a place on the photo - the place where Auggie used to be! He was nowhere in the photo. — R.J. Palacio

In fact, no one seemed to care about what happened to him in the least, — R.J. Palacio

AUGUST PULLMAN'S PRECEPT
Everyone deserves a standing ovation because we all overcometh the world.
Auggie — R.J. Palacio

Sometimes you don't have to mean to hurt someone to hurt someone. — R.J. Palacio

I don't know if the three of us found each other because we were so alike in so many ways, or that because we found each other, we've become alike in so many ways. — R.J. Palacio

HENRY JOPLIN'S PRECEPT
Don't be friends with jerks. — R.J. Palacio

Yeah, they did. Didn't you notice they changed the theme of the New Year Art Show? In past years fifth graders painted self-portraits, but this year they made us do those ridiculous self-portraits as animals, remember?" "So big freakin' deal." "I know! I'm not saying I agree, I'm just saying that's what she's saying." "I know, I know. This is just so messed up. — R.J. Palacio

When I finally calmed down, I handed her the Ewok. "Can you go back and give it to him" I said. "Oh, honey," she answered. "That's so sweet of you. But Isabel can clean the Lego set. It'll be good as new for Auggie, don't worry." "No, for the other kid," I answered. She looked at me a second, like she didn't know what to say. "Via said he doesn't speak any English," I sai. "It must be really scary for him, being in the hospital." She nodded slowly. "Yeah," she whispered. "It must be." She closed her eyes and hugged me again. And then she took me over to the security desk, where I waited until she went back up the elevator and, after about five minutes, came back down again. "Did he like it?" I asked. "Honeyboy," she said softly, brushing the hair out of my eyes. "You made his day. — R.J. Palacio

What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful. — Sappho

Then they came out of the narrow valley and at once she saw the reason. There stood Peter and Edmund and all the rest of Aslan's army fighting desperately against the crowd of horrible creatures whom she had seen last night; only now, in the daylight, they looked even stranger and more evil and more deformed. — R.J. Palacio

A fresh start gives us the chance to reflect on the past, weigh the things we've done, and apply what we've learned from those things to the future. — R.J. Palacio

I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand. — R.J. Palacio

I kind of wanted to tell them that. Like, it's okay, I know I'm weird-looking, take a look, I don't bite. Hey, the truth is, if a Wookiee started going to the school all of a sudden, I'd be curious, I'd probably stare a bit! — R.J. Palacio

He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own. — R.J. Palacio

I do not like to dwell on the past. Life is ahead of us. If we spend too much time looking backward, we can't see where we are going! — R.J. Palacio

I wasn't even sure why I was getting this medal, really.
No, that's not true. I knew why.
It's like people you see sometimes, and you can't imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it's somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can't talk. Only, I know that I'm that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium.
To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid.
But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that's okay. I'll take it. I didn't destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that's not easy, even if you're not me. — R.J. Palacio

Wake Me Up when September Ends — R.J. Palacio

Things that happen to us, even the bad stuff, can often teach us a little bit about ourselves. — R.J. Palacio

There's no rule book that tells you how to act in every given situation in life, you know? So what I always say is that it's always better to err on the side of kindness. That's the secret. If you don't know what to do, just be kind. You can't go wrong. — R.J. Palacio

She had only hesitated for a millionth of a second, but I could tell the moment she saw me. Like I said : I'm used to it by now. — R.J. Palacio

Good friendships are worth a little extra effort! — R.J. Palacio

Just follow the day and reach for the sun! — R.J. Palacio

Everyone should always have a standing ovation at least once in their life. — R.J. Palacio

No, no, it's not all random, if it was really random, the universe would abandon us completely, and the universe doesn't. It takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. — R.J. Palacio

My name is August, by the way. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. — R.J. Palacio

I love that feeling when you first open your eyes in the morning and you don't even know why everything seems different than usual. Then it hits you: Everything is quiet. No cars honking. No buses going down the street. Then you run over to the window, and outside everything is covered in white: the sidewalks, the trees, the cars on the street, your windowpanes. And when that happens on a school day and you find out your school is closed, well, I don't care how old I get: I'm always going to think that that's the best feeling in the world. And I'm never going to be one of those grown-ups that use an umbrella when it's snowing - ever. — R.J. Palacio

Was in lower school. And she figures it's your fault that things have changed." "That's just idiotic!" Ximena said. "I know!" I said. "It's like Savanna being mad at me for having been in a TV commercial once. It makes no sense." "How do you know all this?" asked Ximena. "Did she tell you?" "No!" I said. "Did you know about the note beforehand?" "No!" I said. Summer rescued me. "So what did Ellie say when she read Maya's note?" she asked Ximena. "Oh, she was so mad," answered Ximena. "She and Savanna want to go all out on Maya, post something super-mean about her on Facebook or whatever. Then Miles drew this cartoon. They want to post it on Instagram." She nodded for Summer to hand me a folded-up piece of loose-leaf paper, which I opened. On it was a crude drawing of a girl (who was obviously Maya) kissing a boy (who was obviously Auggie Pullman). Underneath it was — R.J. Palacio

The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment. — R.J. Palacio

No, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds. — R.J. Palacio

Just goes to show, everyone really does have a story to tell. And most people, at least in my experience, are a little more noble than they think they are. — R.J. Palacio

Middle School is about as bad as it gets, and then it gets better. — R.J. Palacio

I opened the box. Inside was the cutest little puppy I've ever seen in my life. It was black and furry, with a pointy little snout and bright black eyes and small ears that flopped down. — R.J. Palacio

I'll meet you outside. I rushed to — R.J. Palacio

Nicknamed him the Zombie Kid, and that's what everyone was calling him. "Did you see the Zombie Kid yet?" Stuff like that gets around fast. And August knew it. It's hard enough being the new kid even when you have a normal face. Imagine having his face? — R.J. Palacio

But the truth is, I knew things wouldn't change much. I knew it would be the way it had been after the sleepover. Like we had taken a secret trip together. A voyage that no one else knew about. And when we returned from our journey, we each went back to our own homes. Some friendships are like that. Maybe even the best friendships are like that. The connections are always there. They're just invisible to the eye. — R.J. Palacio

There are so many words I can use to describe the looks on people's faces. And for a long time I didn't get it. I'd just get mad. Mad when they stared. Mad when they looked away. "What the heck are you looking at?" I'd say to people - even grown-ups. — R.J. Palacio

When he told me this. — R.J. Palacio

It is always brave to be kind, but in those days, such kindnesses could cost you your life.
Julian's Chapter — R.J. Palacio

Listen to the whispers. — R.J. Palacio

Its the shingaling, baby! — R.J. Palacio

Here I was looking for symbolism and metaphors and um ... sometimes a duck is just a duck!
Mr. Tushman — R.J. Palacio

Mr. Browne's precept for October was: YOUR DEEDS ARE YOUR MONUMENTS. — R.J. Palacio

So I just went over and sat with him. Not a biggie. I wish people would stop trying to turn it into something more. He's just a kid. The weirdest-looking kid I've ever seen, yes. But just a kid. — R.J. Palacio

One should be kinder than needed. What I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindess. — R.J. Palacio

Here's what I think: the only reason I'm not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way. — R.J. Palacio

MR. BROWNE'S SEPTEMBER PRECEPT:
WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING
RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND. — R.J. Palacio

Swallowing, there were other things that didn't come automatically to him. For instance, he couldn't eat. He couldn't talk. He — R.J. Palacio

At first I thought he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking, but then he put his palms on his eyes and I realized he was crying. It was the quietest crying I've ever heard. Like a whisper. I was going to go over to him, but then I thought maybe he was whisper-crying because he didn't want me or anyone else to hear him. — R.J. Palacio

we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks. When — R.J. Palacio

But the good thing about life is that we can fix our mistakes sometimes. We learn from them. We get better. — R.J. Palacio

Mom and Dad came home two hours later. We knew the second they opened the door and Daisy wasn't with them that Daisy was gone. — R.J. Palacio

Halloween is the best holiday in the world. It even beats Christmas. — R.J. Palacio

Time make everything easier to bear. — R.J. Palacio

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. August — R.J. Palacio

Don't judge a boy by its cover! — R.J. Palacio

I was looking for a little tiny spot to disappear into. I wanted a hole I could fall inside of: a little black hole that would eat me up. — R.J. Palacio

Teachers need the freedom to teach - freedom they can't have if they're only teaching so their students can pass tests. I'm pretty sure my students won't find anything about Hector on the Common Core tests. I'm equally sure that what they learned about Wisdom, Justice, Courage, and Temperance may stay with them for the rest of their lives. - Mr. Browne — R.J. Palacio

If you can get through middle school without hurting anyone's feelings, that's really cool beans.
-Summer Dawson — R.J. Palacio

You ever wonder what happens to people when they die?" I asked. He shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I guess they go to heaven? That's where my Grans went." "I think about it a lot," I said. "I think when people die, their souls go to heaven but just for a little while. Like that's where they see their old friends and stuff, and kind of catch up on old times. But then I actually think the souls start thinking about their lives on earth, like if they were good or bad or whatever. And then they get born again as brand-new babies in the world." "Why would they want to do that?" "Because then they get another chance to get it right," I answered. "Their souls get a chance to have a do-over. — R.J. Palacio

Tushman asked me to hang out with him at the beginning of the year, and he must have told all the teachers to put us next to each other in all our classes, or something. The — R.J. Palacio

He cleared his throat and read from the book: " 'It was at moments such as these that Joseph recognized the face of God in human form. It glimmered in their kindness to him, it glowed in their keenness, it hinted in their caring, indeed it caressed in their gaze.' " He paused and took off his reading glasses again. "It glimmered in their kindness to him," he repeated, smiling. "Such a simple thing, kindness. Such a simple thing. A nice word of encouragement given when needed. An act of friendship. A passing smile." He — R.J. Palacio

It's like people you see sometimes, and you can't imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it's somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can't talk. Only, I know that I'm that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium.
To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid. — R.J. Palacio

Everyone born of God overcometh the world. — R.J. Palacio

To thine own self be true. — R.J. Palacio

We would spend hours playing pretend games about missions to deep space, or landing on Pluto. That became our favorite planet to travel to. Pluto was our Tatooine. We — R.J. Palacio

Now that I look back, I don't know why I was so stressed about it all this time. Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing. — R.J. Palacio

The first look I got of August, well, it made me want to cover my eyes and run away screaming. — R.J. Palacio

But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that's okay. I'll take it. — R.J. Palacio

Oh wow, there's another fly on the wall! Look, there's a new dog sleeping on the sidewalk. Yippee. — R.J. Palacio

I couldn't wait to go home. — R.J. Palacio

East Harlem accent: — R.J. Palacio

Via had warned me about lunch in middle school, so I guess I should have known it would be hard. — R.J. Palacio

One of the reasons I grew my hair long last year was that I like how my bangs cover my eyes: it helps me block out the things I don't want to see.
-August thinking — R.J. Palacio

But the good thing about life, Julian," she continued, "is that we can fix our mistakes sometimes. We learn from them. We get better. One mistake does not define you. — R.J. Palacio

It's not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend. — R.J. Palacio

Jack, sometimes you don't have to be mean to hurt someone. — R.J. Palacio

AMOS CONTI'S PRECEPT
Don't try too hard to be cool. It always shows, and that's uncool. — R.J. Palacio

You were wearing that helmet all the time. And the real, real, real, real truth is: I missed seeing your face, Auggie. I know you don't always love it, but you have to understand ... I love it. I love this face of yours, Auggie, completely and passionately. And it kind of broke my heart that you were always covering it up. — R.J. Palacio

I want you to start a brand-new section in your notebooks and call it Mr. Browne's Precepts." He kept talking as we did what he was telling us to do. "Put today's date at the top of the first page. And from now on, at the beginning of every month, I'm going to write a new Mr. Browne precept on the chalkboard and you're going to write it down in your notebook. Then we're going to discuss that precept and what it means. And at the end of the month, you're going to write an essay about it, about what it means to you. So by the end of the year, you'll all have your own list of precepts to take away with you. — R.J. Palacio

Do people look the same when they get to heaven?" "I don't know. I don't think so." "Then how do people recognize each other?" "I don't know, sweetie." She sounded tired. "They just feel it. You don't need your eyes to love, right? You just feel it inside you. That's how it is in heaven. It's just love, and no one forgets who they love. — R.J. Palacio

Or, what does a poor man have, a rich man need, and you would die if you ate it? Stuff — R.J. Palacio

My birthday is October 10. I like my birthday: 10/10. It would've been great if I'd been born at exactly 10:10 in the morning or at night, but I wasn't. I was born just after midnight. But I still thinking my birthday is cool. — R.J. Palacio

There are always going to be jerks in the world, Auggie," she said, looking at me. "But I really believe, and Daddy really believes, that there are more good people on this earth than bad people, and the good people watch out for each other and take care of each other. Just — R.J. Palacio

One thing I've learned after being a middle-school director for twenty years: there are almost always more than two sides to every story. Although I don't know the details, I have an inkling about what may have sparked the confrontation with Julian. While nothing justifies striking another student - ever - I also know good friends are sometimes worth defending. — R.J. Palacio

Hey, the truth is, if a Wookiee started going to the school all of a sudden, I'd be curious, I'd probably stare a bit! And if I was walking with Jack or Summer, I'd probably whisper to them: Hey, there's the Wookiee. And if the Wookiee caught me saying that, he'd know I wasn't trying to be mean. I was just pointing out the fact that he's a Wookiee. — R.J. Palacio

When something scary like this happens, it acts like a wake-up call, you know? It makes us reassess what's important in life. Our family. Our friends. The people we love. — R.J. Palacio

Was at moments such as these that Joseph recognized the face of God in human form. It glimmered in their kindness to him, it glowed in their keenness, it hinted in their caring, indeed it caressed in their gaze.' — R.J. Palacio

The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average
though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success. — R.J. Palacio

Maybe he knew it and maybe he didn't, but for someone like me, words like that are worth all the medals in the world. — R.J. Palacio

No, sweeties, don't let them do that to you. You were there for more than forty-eight hours, and that awful part lasted one hour. Don't let them take that away from you, okay? — R.J. Palacio

I never used to see August the way other people saw him. I knew he didn't look exactly normal, but I really didn't understand why strangers seemed so shocked when they saw him. Horrified. Sickened. Scared. There are so many words I can use to describe the looks on people's faces. And for a long time I didn't get it. I'd just get mad. Mad when they stared. Mad when they looked away. "What the heck are you looking at?" I'd say to people - even grown-ups. Then, when I was about eleven, I went to stay with Grans in Montauk for four weeks while August was having — R.J. Palacio

And far away, like in another world, we could hear Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. — R.J. Palacio

They can try to forecast the odds, but they can't guarantee them. They use terms like "germline mosaicism," "chromosome rearrangement," or "delayed mutation" to explain why their science is not an exact science. I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand. There are countless people under words like "germline mosaicism," "chromosome rearrangement," or "delayed mutation." Countless — R.J. Palacio

But realizing that Ximena Chin, under her layers and layers and layers of snarkiness and mischief, could actually be kind of sweet. When she wasn't being kind of mean. — R.J. Palacio

Such a simple thing, kindness. Such a simple thing. A nice word of encouragement, given when needed. An act of friendship. A passing smile. — R.J. Palacio

Olivia is a girl who sees everything. — R.J. Palacio

When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. - Dr Wayne W. Dyer — R.J. Palacio

As we get older and wiser, that we all learn to trust each other enough so that we can truly be ourselves, and accept each other for who we really are. — R.J. Palacio

Every person's story weaves in and out of someone else's story. — R.J. Palacio