Tracey Lange > Quotes

“What I’m saying is, if you can be happy, do it. If you know what you want in life, don’t wait for someone else to give it to you, go after it, and don’t let anything stand in the way.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Sometimes there’s a thin line between helping and controlling.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Shame and guilt are like plagues. And we Irish wield them like weapons and wear them like medals.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Part of what made this so hard was that he didn’t have any of the more convenient complaints people cited to end a marriage; adultery, neglect, constant arguing. They just lacked a fundamental intimacy that kept someone from feeling alone in the world.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Family didn’t mean hiding the hard stuff from each other, it meant facing it together. And it meant forgiving each other.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Do you know how long I waited for you to come back?”
“Probably as long as I waited for you to come after me.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“What I’m saying is, if you can be happy, do it. If you know what you want in life, don’t wait for someone else to give it to you. Go after it, and don’t let anything stand in the way.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“She had a boot-camp-workout body and an attitude that dared anyone to mess with her.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“As they grew up they would hear all the platitudes: sometimes you have to know when to quit; when things are out of your control you have to let go and move on; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity … But he wasn’t going to be the one to say those things, force them to grow up any faster than they had to. So, instead, he offered something a little simpler and hoped it made sense. “Sometimes you’ve taken all the shots you can,” he said. “And then it’s time to let someone else carry the puck for a while.”
― Tracey Lange, What Happened to the McCrays?

“The most honest words didn’t have to be loud or dramatic to cut deep.”
― Tracey Lange, The Connellys of County Down

“You could argue that fairy tales and religion are alike in some ways. They were both created to help people cope with life’s hardships. And they only work when someone has faith in them, believes them to be true.”
― Tracey Lange, The Connellys of County Down

“Sometimes there's a thin line between helping and controlling.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“threshold,”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“The other reason Kyle hadn’t turned any on was because he wasn’t ready to be hit with the memories yet, and it was easier to avoid them in the dark.”
― Tracey Lange, What Happened to the McCrays?

“you can’t let the grief consume all the good—”
― Tracey Lange, What Happened to the McCrays?

“Why else would a parent steal one child’s moment and hand it to another.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“the little boy symbolized everything she’d lost.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“I know you want to do the right thing by everybody. You've always been that way. But no good comes of it when your only motivation is shame & guilt.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“The Irish had a flair for the dramatic, but at the same time they lived by a rigid don’t-ask-don’t-tell code.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“She’d been reckless that night, drinking far too much, putting herself in such a position. It was so unlike her, but Kale could see how it happened.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“McLean Avenue in Yonkers, the self-proclaimed thirty-third county of Ireland.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“There was nothing else to say without veering into dangerous waters. All the safe small talk was used up.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“Small towns don’t forgive easily. Even when they do, they never forget.”
― Tracey Lange, What Happened to the McCrays?

“I know you want to do the right thing by everybody. You’ve always been that way. But no good comes of it when your only motivation is shame and guilt.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Shame and guilt are like plagues. And we Irish wield them like weapons and wear them like medals.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“I know you want to do the right thing by everybody. You’ve always been that way. But no good comes of it when your only motivation is shame and guilt.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“His mind was trying to keep secrets from him.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“common.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“So he says. But he likes to tell tales.” “Don’t all Irish fathers.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans

“It was a curious thing being in that room again. He felt a little lost in time, like he was visiting the boy who used to inhabit this space and dream about his future.”
― Tracey Lange, What Happened to the McCrays?

“Kale turned to Sunday, who was sliding debris to one side with her shoe, clearing a path. He tried to infuse his words with every ounce of regret he felt. “I’m so sorry I let you go.”
― Tracey Lange, We Are the Brennans