Yes No Maybe So Quotes
"It’s hard to catch that anything-could-happen, big-box-general-merchandise vibe when I’m here as my cousin’s errand boy."
"You could say there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to discuss nipples with my twelve-year-old sister in the Target produce section."
"Eye contact with a cute girl. A girl I’m pretty sure I know from somewhere, which means there’s a built-in conversation topic."
"If there’s even such a thing as a comfort zone when cute girls are involved."
"You’ve got the adults, all of your friends, family—you all get the nice party in the ballroom, right? And then we get our own super chill smaller party in the other room."
"Relationships are complicated, and right now there’s too much stuff changing in my life for me to think about adding anything like that to the mix."
"We are literally on a hunt for a receptacle for garbage."
"I don’t know if I’m a good wingman, but I’m a hygienic wingman."
"Because I’m this." I gesture vaguely to my entire self.
"Even if I couldn’t, it would have been nice to at least absorb the calming energy of his presence—but it’s not easy feeling calm or spiritual in a place that looks like a high school pep rally."
"Right this moment as I stand here, my father is erasing himself from our house."
"I’m not saying I’m antisocial or anything. I’ve got a bunch of acquaintances, like Kevin. It’s just that I’m a quality over quantity kind of person."
"But school. Jobs. And just like that the years slip by. Time is a trickster, I tell you."
"Maya’s eyes widen. "Oh." She pauses. "Ohhhh.""
"They made it eighteen years. They were happy for most of them. At least, I thought they were."
""I hate not knowing how long this will last." "Me too," she says softly."
"I will never understand why adults find the passing of time to be so unexpected."
"The whole time the guy was speaking, it was like I’d stepped out of my brain. It felt like I was watching it all happen in a movie."
"Time moves differently in Target. It’s an actual fact, confirmed by my mom."
"You sound like my grandma. She always says that there are at least two good people for every bad person in the world."
"It’s not like being Muslim in New York City. Though, actually, that’s probably not a cakewalk either. People can be awful."
"I don’t even know how to do any of the other stuff. Like that thing certain guys do where they tease a girl just the right amount."
"I want to be a history changer. I want to help draw the timeline."
"The worst part is, Mom’s not entirely off base. It’s not like she’s pulling this political stuff out of thin air."
"I’m just saying. And even if Mom says no to the teen room, eighth grade is going to be totally different."
"People aren’t going to vote for Newton. He’s so racist."
"I don’t even know where I’d turn for real advice on this stuff. Grandma, I guess—though her advice would be about communication and 'opening your heart.'"
"Not all your constituents," Maya says. "Some of Holden’s constituents wear hijab! You know that, right?"
"You’re kidding me, right?" Maya grips the edge of the table. "You’re surprised I’m opposed to this? Because I don’t wear hijab?"
"What do you think my mom is hiding under her hijab?"
"Whatever troll did this," she murmurs into my shoulder, "can go fuck himself."
"We’re both going to the masjid for Eid prayers," my mother says. "You’ll go with whoever you stayed with the night before, and we’ll all be there for the potluck brunch. Maybe you and I could go out for manicures after, and then you and your dad could get dinner in the evening?"
"All our actions are little drops that collect into a groundswell for change. It’s the only way most change happens. Ordinary people doing everything they can."
"It’s like living with fire in my chest. Maybe it was Fifi. Or Dickers. Or H.B. 28. I don’t know what sparked it, but suddenly everything’s different. Everything feels huge and momentous and terrifyingly real."
"I’m not saying I picked Skeeter’s because I hoped I might run into Sara, but I can’t pretend I don’t feel a touch disappointed when it’s Lucas who greets us instead."
"But these are the best of the bunch. There’s extra cheddar, white cheddar, and my personal favorite, rainbow Goldfish."
"It’s important to have a neutral one to cleanse the palate between taste tests."
"Best is quantifiable. It means someone is better than all the rest."
"Like he’s wondering what on earth is happening and how did he end up here."
"I just want it to be three o’clock, so I can pick Maya up for Goldfish and then canvassing."
"It wasn’t one moment in particular. A movie here, a meal there . . . and then before you know it . . ."
"You should stay! If you want to. You don’t have to. But you totally could. That would be great. Unless you—"
"You’re asking for a swastika on a teacup. Do you hear yourself?"
"But sooner or later this election will be over," Jamie says. "And when it’s behind you, you’ll still have to be you. Make sure you’ll be able to live with yourself when it’s done."
"Dog whistles are worse, because they’re designed for maximum plausible deniability."
"I need a palate cleanser after that too," Jamie agrees.
"It takes thirty seconds to be a hero—call your state senator today."
"I saved a life today," Michael says solemnly into the camera. "My own."
"You need to mind your own business, old lady."
"Fifi gets flipped," I manage to say. "I’m glad it was helpful."
"What can I say? Jewish grandmas are the best."
"If you get tired while you’re going, just stop," he tells people. "You’ve been assigned quite a few houses, and no one reasonable expects you to be able to hit them all."