Rachel DeLoache Williams > Quotes

“Act like you’ve been here before.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“When it came to material possessions, Anna was pared down, but when it came to indulgent experiences, she couldn’t get enough.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“For example: if you asked Anna about her politics, she would tell you that she was decidedly nonpolitical. Politics had little to do with power, she professed. Money was the world’s true governing force.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“This evening in Le Coucou reminded me that, despite any misgivings, Anna had a magical way of looking to the horizon, understanding potential, and knowing exactly when to be where.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“In times of trauma, life unfolds in a chiaroscuro of peaks and valleys. You feel the highs and lows with amplified intensity.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna: The true story of Anna Delvey, the fake heiress of New York City

“I read the headlines—Fake Heiress Anna Sorokin Says She Takes Being Branded a ‘Sociopath’ as a Compliment… Says Her Prison Sentence Was ‘a Huge Waste of Time’… Sets Her Sights on Influencerdom with a New Vlog Series. I understood the implications of this sort of coverage, the glamorization of criminality, and wondered who would speak up.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I understand that, no matter what they say, people show you who they are through their actions. I believed that my friend Anna was a wealthy German heiress.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Is this the only way she makes her money?” I asked Officer McCaffrey. As far as he knew, deceit was her sole source of income.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Anna also appealed to a certain part of me, and not necessarily the best part. Because of her, I was often late for things, I drank too much, and I neglected other friendships. I felt proud that Anna liked me, but was it possible, at the same time, to feel subconsciously ashamed?”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I felt the loss of Anna, not as she was but as I had once perceived her to be. When I lost that, I lost a part of myself. When I became disillusioned with my friend, I became disillusioned with my faith in the innate goodness of all people.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“New York attracts such a wild range of people: artists and bankers, immigrants and transients, old money and new money, people waiting to be discovered and others who never want to be found. Everyone here has a story to tell—some more elaborate than others. But without exception the people have texture, and texture is character, and character is fascinating.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I saw fellow people where Anna saw only pawns.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Because of her, I was often late for things, I drank too much, and I neglected other friendships. I felt proud that Anna liked me, but was it possible, at the same time, to feel subconsciously ashamed?”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I had not noticed that, over time, the balance of our friendship had irreversibly changed.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I was overcome with reverence for the mystery and splendor of the villa, but something about Anna’s presence made me suppress the impulse to lean into my interest too profoundly. Letting her see that I cared too much about anything made me feel vulnerable.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“The closer I got to the truth about Anna, the further I got from relief. The police weren’t interested in my black binder. I was still out $62,109.29, and American Express kept calling.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“It’s hard to understand something until you’re beyond it. Only then, if you have the wherewithal and interest, can you look back and see the real shape of a thing.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“That suits you,” I conceded, worrying about whether her frame would permanently alter its shape.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I’d had no real understanding of the scope of her alleged crimes. She was being accused of stealing approximately $275,000 through a variety of scams, and of attempting to steal millions more. One of her most successful tactics was “check kiting,” a fraudulent practice that takes advantage of the several days banks need for deposited checks to officially clear.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“A week later, I sent my last text to Anna: Find it strange I haven’t heard anything from you, I wrote. And as sad as it was, I meant what I said.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“...your attention is an investment. Giving someone your attention is the act of being influenced whether you you're aware of it in the moment. Especially in the age of constant stimulation, with endless people and stories competing for your clicks, likes, follows and time. Your attention has value, it has power. It's worth something. Be careful where you spend it and understand it and understand the cost.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress

“When it was time for me to order an entrée, I turned from the waiter to Anna, seeking her blessing. It’s not like she required me to ask permission—she’d have told me to get whatever I wanted—but I operated with an excess of civility; because she was paying, I accepted my subservience and became increasingly deferential. I had not noticed that, over time, the balance of our friendship had irreversibly changed.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“understand that, no matter what they say, people show you who they are through their actions.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Anna had a way of describing the world, its systems and power structures, so that anything seemed possible. In addition to the foundation’s galleries, private members’ club, restaurant, night lounge, juice bar, and German bakery, Anna wanted to curate experiential events that would blend art, food, and music. She mused about chefs she’d like to bring in (having watched rapper Action Bronson’s TV show Fuck, That’s Delicious, she eyed him in particular), artists she admired, and the contemporary art scene. She was savvy, and in the male-dominated world of bankers, lawyers, and investment professionals, she was unapologetically ambitious. I liked this about her.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“I prepared to formalize the nullification of my friendship with Anna Delvey.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Anna had to kick down the door to get her chance at life,” Spodek continued. “Just like Sinatra had to do it his way, Anna had to do it her way.” It felt to me like Spodek was sugarcoating Anna’s criminality—making it more palatable, not only to jurors but to the court of public opinion, and to the possible movie and TV-show audiences down the line. The crux of the defense was that “Anna had to fake it until she could make it,” which, to me, sounded like a clear admission of guilt. As in, Anna had to fake it (commit the crime) until she could make it (get away with it).”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Select patrons only—it’s a funny idea. Why is exclusivity appealing? We all want to be included. We crave validation, from friends and from strangers. If you’d said that to me then, I’d have been defensive.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Act like you’ve been here before.” It was a line my soccer coach used to say when my team scored a goal or won a game. I was overflowing with excitement, but it was better to stay calm, to take note of how I got there, and to focus on what would come next.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna

“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna: The true story of Anna Delvey, the fake heiress of New York City

“In my opinion it’s a mark of good fortune not to have developed the type of cynicism that comes with so-called street smarts.”
― Rachel DeLoache Williams, My Friend Anna