Reader > Reader's Quotes

“Since 1971, an iconic image of a silhouetted woman has moved from truck mudflaps into popular culture. She is perceived through the eyes of people who live in different decades.

Mudflap Girl has at different times been considered a reflection of male self-image, symbolic of declining family values, and a feminist figure. However, even as an empowered woman, her identity has been problematic. Is she a mainstream inspiration, a subcultural icon or an unrealistic representation of the female form? Is she more than just a two dimensional figure based on her appearance? What is her story?

And most mysteriously, who is she?”
― Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl

“Now, this girl? Classic. Legendary. Badass. She’s retro, kitsch, and completely owning it. You think she’s just some dude’s idea of sexy? She’s not his fantasy; she’s our symbol. We’re taking her back, bitch!”
― Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl

“She’s hot but also effortlessly cool. She’s not playing by anyone else’s rules.”
― Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl

“Maybe she could be an average girl, a slim girl, or even a curvy girl?”
― Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl

“For those of us who’ve had to fight to be seen, she makes us feel visible.”
― Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl

“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

“Maybe the first time you saw her you were ten. She was standing in the sun scratching her legs. Or tracing letters in the dirt with a stick. Her hair was being pulled. Or she was pulling someone's hair. And a part of you was drawn to her, and a part of you resisted--wanting to ride off on your bicycle, kick a stone, remain uncomplicated. In the same breath you felt the strength of a man, and a self-pity that made you feel small and hurt. Part of you thought: Please don't look at me. If you don't, I can still turn away. And part of you thought: Look at me.”
― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

“What about you? Are you happiest and saddest right now that you've ever been?" "Of course I am." "Why?" "Because nothing makes me happier and nothing makes me sadder than you.”
― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

“Once upon a time, there was a boy. He lived in a village that no longer exists, in a house that no longer exists, on the edge of a field that no longer exists, where everything was discovered, and everything was possible. A stick could be a sword, a pebble could be a diamond, a tree, a castle. Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in a house across the field, from a girl who no longer exists. They made up a thousand games. She was queen and he was king. In the autumn light her hair shone like a crown. They collected the world in small handfuls, and when the sky grew dark, they parted with leaves in their hair.

Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love