Kiersten Modglin > Quotes

“For better or worse. Because your only choice now is to kill me yourself or stay with me forever. I own your secret now, Peter. I own you.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“There are some things that love can’t fix.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Atonement

“There are just these periods where things feel safe and calm, and then, long before we’re ready, everything’s torn apart and we call it change.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Amendment

“People like to pretend they have no control over the way their life turns out, but the truth is that they just refuse to deal with the hard stuff because it’s too painful and messy.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“I don’t believe we’re defined by our worst moments, no matter how dark they are. We’re defined by what we do after our worst moments.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Dinner Guests

“Sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes people are more broken together than they could ever be apart.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Atonement

“The rule of threes I knew: we could survive three minutes without oxygen, three hours without shelter from harsh weather, three days without water, three weeks without food.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Missing

“Silence of the good is the weapon of the wicked.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Bitter House

“Outside the window, it’s mostly dark, though the moon is illuminating the woods in a slightly eerie, almost hypnotic way. I picture myself walking outside, slipping into the darkness, and disappearing once and for all.”
― Kiersten Modglin, A Quiet Retreat

“Sometimes people are more broken together than they could ever be apart.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Atonement

“Everyone cares about fitting in, that’s the truth of it. Even the most self-assured person you know. The pretty. The popular. The loners. The ones who forge their own path. The ones who swear they don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Widow Falls

“There are few things that appear stronger than a woman who seems put together.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Atonement

“Sorry, my mom was telling me about her book club again. It’s very scandalous there.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“People like to pretend they have no control over the way their life turns out, but the truth is that they just refuse to deal with the hard stuff because it’s too painful and messy. You know what’s even more painful and sticky? Prolonging bad situations for your own comfort. No one can solve your problems for you, Peter. No one wants to.” She sighed, her eyes filling with sorrow. “Just…figure it out.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“Sometimes…even people who love each other aren’t meant to be together.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Atonement

“Normal doesn’t exist and it never has. There are just these periods where things feel safe and calm, and then, long before we’re ready, everything’s torn apart and we call it change.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Amendment

“The same way everyone’s happy in the middle of their life. I had everything I wanted, but somehow it all felt a bit lackluster. A dream is its shiniest when it’s still inside your head.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Reunion

“The nights he saved me.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Bitter House

“Hello,” she said, her tone crisp. “Have you talked to your father?” She drew out the word. Fine, thanks. How are you?”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Amendment

“People like to pretend they have no control over the way their life turns out, but the truth is that they just refuse to deal with the hard stuff because it’s too painful and messy. You know what’s even more painful and sticky? Prolonging bad situations for your own comfort.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“In death, everyone becomes a hero. Otherworldly. The dead become something of myths and legends, even when everyone knows the truth.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Stranger

“For me, cheating on my wife had never been something I planned on. I wasn’t proud of myself for what I’d done. Not that night or any of the nights before. And, to my surprise, it didn’t feel any better now, just because I had permission.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“Sometimes I like to think the people who die go on living without really knowing they’ve died. Isn’t that a peaceful thought? That those we’ve lost are just out there, living and loving, happy and at peace. That they don’t know anything happened to them. That they exist in a reality that is exactly what they hoped for.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Hemlock

“That’s the burden parents face, isn’t it? When we’re with them, we take it all for granted. We wish for time away. We wish for a moment of peace. Then, as soon as we’re away, supposed to be enjoying our peace, we wish to be right in the middle of it all again. Childhood is both very long and very short and, as parents, there’s nothing we’re more aware of than that.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Reunion

“Now, if honesty truly existed, would we even be in this situation? Just hold still, sweet girl, and it will all be over soon.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Missing Piece

“Whether or not it’s because of me, this is who he’s become. This is whom I will remain married to for the rest of my life.”
― Kiersten Modglin, A Quiet Retreat

“But comfort was the enemy.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Our Little Secret

“My babies were growing up, my husband was growing distant, and my life was at a standstill.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Arrangement

“Of course she will,” Greta promises me, though we both know it’s something she can’t guarantee. “You’re her mom.” “I’m the woman who—as far as she’s concerned—just broke up her home and took her away from everything she’s ever known.” “No.” She pokes my chest. My heart. “You’re the woman who showed her that your happiness—her happiness, someday—matters. She may not realize it yet, but you just showed her how to take care of herself, even when it hurts.”
― Kiersten Modglin, Wilde Women

“Because everyone needs a friend, and because one day you’ll break and let me in, and on that day, I’m going to be standing right here. Still waiting. Probably old and decrepit by then, but still here.”
― Kiersten Modglin, The Missing Piece