Amy Matayo > Quotes

“. . . because she knows the secret: that humans need contact to thrive, that a broken heart is only one crack away from a broken spirit, and that both can be mended by smoothing on thin layers of love.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“Things change the moment we set our minds on a certain direction. Determination kicks in. A fierceness we didn’t know we possessed bathes us with strength. Fire ignites in our bellies, daring anyone and anything to burn us down.”
― Amy Matayo, The Waves

“It's the almost that haunts me. Even now.”
― Amy Matayo, The End of the World

“You can ask why all day long if you want to. You can ask God why and your friends why and yourself why until you're buried in nothing but that single question, but you'll never get an answer. This side of heaven, time is the only thing that helps a little bit. So don't give in. Don't let the whys have it. Don't let them take advantage of you. They'll crush your heart and steal your peace and mess with your mind and wrap around you so tight you won't be able to breathe. Don't let the whys ruin your life, child. Every time they try to sneak up, push them aside and move forward. Trust me, it's the only way you can get on with living."
I turn toward the window and think about her words. "What if I can't? Let it go, I mean?"
I don't see her smile, but I can hear it. "You can. I know you can. Because no matter how hard life gets, there's always goodness right around the corner. All you have to do is look for it.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“The grin he levels my way has probably shattered hearts all over the country. It's doing quite a number on mine right now.”
― Amy Matayo, The Thirteenth Chance

“That's the thing about missing something; some things are meant to remain that way: longed for and wondered about and thought of fondly. But missed all the same.”
― Amy Matayo, The End of the World

“Don't let the whys have it. Don't let them take advantage of you. They'll crush your heart and steal your peace and mess with your mind and wrap around you so tight you won't be able to breathe. Don't le the whys ruin your life, child. Every time they try to sneak up, push them aside and move forward.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“It changes you in ways you never saw coming and certainly don’t appreciate. People aren’t supposed to love you and then leave. It’s cruel really, whether they meant to do it or not. Sometimes you can’t control what happens, but sometimes you can.”
― Amy Matayo, The Waves

“People spend all their lives chasing possessions and money and status, but in the end, what they desire most is to be seen. To Matter. In the end, basic need is all anyone wants”
― Amy Matayo, The Last Shot

“Is a life defined by circumstances, or do circumstances define a life?”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally

“I'm more excited than I'll admit when my hand closes around the paperback. It's like I've been handed a secret, a piece of her soul that she just decided to entrust with me. That's the way with writers--every word on a page like a window into their private place, exposing a great deal of vulnerability when they allow others to see inside. Even fiction is made up of the truthful scars of the people telling the story. I should know. I tell the same stories myself every day.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“Some people dream of becoming doctors or artists or veterinarians or teachers. I dream of the day Shaye laughs without stopping, and when she does, it will be only to take a breath before starting over again.”
― Amy Matayo, The End of the World

“The funny thing is, we spend most of our lives dwelling on the regret around us, not noticing that the blessings are stacked so much higher, right at eye level, where it’s easiest to see. Blessings. That’s what life is made of. Too many to count. Sometimes it just takes longer to see them.”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally

“His motto is actually “write drunk and edit sober”—he’s got the words hanging on a plaque in bold black letters behind his desk right above an ever-present bottle of Jack Daniels—but I say nothing. Monday afternoon is not the best time to argue, much like every other day of the week. And unfortunately for me, I don’t have a pregnant wife at home to fall back on.”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally

“When you hit your lowest point, you have two choices: stay down and let the circumstances drown you, or find your footing and kick until you eventually break the surface. I decide to kick.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“Some people have the Midas touch, other’s dip their fingers in sticky, permanent black ink, Smudged. Unlucky.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“If only.
Isn’t that what we all ask ourselves at one time or another?

If I had to guess, the question of if only has never left my mind. Ten years is a long time to live without answers.
Hurt can’t overtake you when you raise a white flag of surrender.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“There comes a point in everyone's life when the only thing you can manage to do is sit. To sit and stare. To sit and stare and wonder how everything got so messed up that you've passed the point of caring.

The Whys Have It”
― Amy Matayo

“God is the one who puts dreams inside you. So you'd better chase them fast, before He decides to let them chase you instead....Because sometimes He does that, just to get your attention.”
― Amy Matayo, Love Gone Wild

“With that thought, I shatter into a thousand jagged pieces. And then my best friend in the world does what only a best friend can do—he joins me on the floor and pulls me into his lap. He holds me and cries with me and whispers words of encouragement into my ear until the syllables turn into the sweetest lullaby and I slowly drift to sleep.”
― Amy Matayo, The End of the World

“No matter how hard life gets, there's always goodness right around the corner. All you have to do is look for it.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“Almost as if I have shoved her into a cocoon of my own making, where wings are held tight and breath is taken within the confines of minimal space. And now that we’re out . . . Olivia has become a butterfly with a wingspan so wide and beautiful it fills this entire room. And once again, I’ve become a freaking poet.”
― Amy Matayo, The Thirteenth Chance

“It's funny how a body can go from cold to overheated in two sputtering heartbeats.”
― Amy Matayo, The Thirteenth Chance

“You'll never be ready. Some things you just have to deal with head on and see what happens. You can't save anything if you don't save yourself first.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“Sticks and stones is the worst nursery rhyme ever written. Words do hurt.”
― Amy Matayo, Lies We Tell Ourselves

“Sometimes, life happens in the little victories.”
― Amy Matayo, The End of the World

“Last words. They can kill you with their lack of meaning, slay you with the absence of thoughtfulness, shackle you to a career of writing lyrics for the rest of your life just to hopefully one day get them right. Last words cut. Last words haunt. Especially if they're careless. Especially if you have no hope of ever having another chance to make them better.”
― Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

“When a friendship lives in your soul, you don’t need many words.”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally

“Is life defined by circumstances, or do circumstances define a life?”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally

“Regret’s evil twin is shame, and both share an unfortunate kinship with loss.”
― Amy Matayo, They Call Her Dirty Sally