Cynthia Leitich Smith > Quotes

“It was funny, though, the things you didn't learn about people until after they died.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“But adulthood," continued the barely twentysomething, "doesn't give you power over what matters most. It doesn't protect you from pain, loss, fate. That's part of being human.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“I may be heaven-sent, but I'm not perfect.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Eternal

“Vampires don't live at all," she points out, "neither do we."
She has me there. "Fine, I'll go. But when Kurt leads his minions in a march around the cemetary with our heads on sticks, don't say I didn't warn you.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Eternal

“Forget what you might have heard. There are no separate corps of angels for agnostics, atheists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, Unitarians, Hindus, Druids, Shintoists, Wiccans, and so on. To put a spin on the old saying, it's okay if you don't believe in angels.

We believe in you.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Eternal

“Men suck.
- Not all men. Just the really good ones.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“Besides, humans aren't prey. They are our natural enemies. They are to be avoided. ”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“That's when it happens. Maybe it was my argument. Maybe it was my scary zeal. Whatever the reason, as soon as Megan whistles, the crowd is on its feet.
They're blowing bubbles. They're raising their lighters high.
They're cheering through their fangs...
For Dawn Summers, for themselves and each other, for every sibling who got tossed into a situation beyond her control.
For me.
And for my sister, who whistles again...
Once more with feeling.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

“In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“Miranda: You say you were my guardian angel. Does that mean you watched me all the time? Like when I got my period or doctored a zit or took a shower or-

Zachary: I'm an angel, not a Peeping Tom.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith

“Bridget adds, "Did Anyone bring a weapon?"
"Confiscated," Zach admits for both of us.
Vesper holds up her metal fingernail file. "They didn't take this."
We're dealing with the forces of evil," I point out. "Not the TSA.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Diabolical

“Straightening, I asked, "What do you believe in?"
"Old love songs, best friends, the collected works of J.R.R.Tolkien, crispy pork egg rolls with just the right amount of grease, the Big Boss and eternity."
"The Big Boss?"
Zachary pointed up, as if to heaven.

"Pious,"I teased.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Blessed

“It's not about you, it's about the story. It's not about the folks who raise an eyebrow because you're not yet published or not yet J.K. Rowling. It's not about what that lady at church may think or, for that matter, the critics. It's not about the fact that you can't please everyone, and it's sure as heck not about the odds. In the immortal words of Gold Five, "Stay on target." You may or may not be the one who destroys the Death Star. But you're a hero if you get out of your own way, put it all on the line, and try.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith

“Each second neared our last.
We danced.
“Kieren . . .”
“Shhh . . .”
We danced.
“I’ll be okay.” Was that me lying? Or him?
We danced.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered, brushing his lips
against mine. “Know that I’m missing you already and
that you’ll always be in my prayers.”
When I opened my eyes, I stood alone in the middle of
the dance floor.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Blessed

“Turned out there was some big, bad Wolf in my good boy after all.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“Do you believe in God?' 'I believe in kissing you.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Hearts Unbroken

“You ate the police?! I exclaimed.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith

“I may be heaven-sent, bit I'm not perfect”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Eternal

“I like it,” I said. “The material’s so heavy, though. I
may turn into a sweat monster.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Blessed

“There’s always music,” he replied, “if you listen carefully enough.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“Ginny looks so small, huddled on the red carpet. We’ve known each other only a couple of days, but she’s brought sunshine into my life and made me feel like I belong in the glow. It’s not love. It’s the hope of love. But it’s the closest I’ve come to it since I was ten years old. If Ginny wants me, how can I be a monster?”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Haunted Love

“She seems to think being cryptic is some kind of substitute for having a decent personality.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tantalize

“Love isn’t only passion and joy. It’s also sacrifice.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Eternal

“A secret is a burden. It's exhausting, a lie.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Diabolical

“She may not need to breathe, but she's like air to me.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Diabolical

“Then the stars turned their attention to the younger children of the family. The ones who hadn’t grown up yet. The stars knew what was coming, who was lurking. They always did. They’d seen it all before, countless times, across vast, green oceans and ethereal night skies. They recognized the tiny, sparkling glow, nearly hidden in the wise old oak tree sprawling above the Roberts-Darlings’ backyard. They recognized the crouched, shadowy figures within its branches. The stars weren’t the only spectators closely observing Lily, Wendy, and Michael.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Sisters of the Neversea

“Uncle Dean cracked one of my ribs, I heard at school that there was this guy in Athens, Georgia, selling a “power elixir” on the Net. I figured it was some kind of steroid cocktail”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Haunted Love

“It was only one kiss. It wasn’t a deep kiss, a French kiss, the kind of kiss that redefines a teen life. It was pepperoni, snowflakes, spit, and rodeo dust. Crazy, like dancing and soaring and walking to a new home.
Sweeter because it didn’t taste like good-bye.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Rain Is Not My Indian Name

“We specialize in story-- story is what defines us, what brings people together”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Hearts Unbroken

“Four kids in T-shirts and jeans jam on a powwow stage. They’re grinning, bouncing, fully engaged with their music, each other, and the relaxed crowd. I’m splitting fry bread with a cousin as we cheer on the band, and across the tent, a young girl reading a paperback catches my eye.
In that moment, I wish for more characters like those kids in the pages of children’s books.
This anthology is a fulfillment of that wish.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids