Laura Fox > Laura's Quotes

“I don't remember seeing what other people had and wanting them. I remember specific moments when I just felt content, and I still am. I think that even at a young age, I had a sense that life was what you make of it. That, and the confidence that jelly donuts are about the best thing on Earth. The two things are probably related; if a $1 jelly donut makes you really, really happy, you can get through a lot with a little.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“You can have all the money and success in the world, but when you're a fucking asshole, you're a fucking asshole and that's all there is to it.”
― Busy Philipps, This Will Only Hurt a Little

“The point is, sometimes it's good to be in charge. But also, sometimes it's less stressful not to have to do all that work.”
― Ellie Kemper, My Squirrel Days

“There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.”
― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

“One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.”
― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

“I'm the kind of person who would rather get my hopes up really high and watch them get dashed to pieces than wisely keep my expectations at bay and hope they are exceeded. This quality has made me a needy and theatrical friend, but has given me a spectacularly dramatic emotional life.”
― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

“Work hard, know your shit, show your shit, and then feel entitled. Listen to no one except the two smartest and kindest adults you know, and that doesn't always mean your parents. If you do that, you will be fine.”
― Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me?

“I don’t think it should be socially acceptable for people to say they are “bad with names.” No one is bad with names. That is not a real thing. Not knowing people’s names isn’t a neurological condition; it’s a choice. You choose not to make learning people’s names a priority. It’s like saying, “Hey, a disclaimer about me: I’m rude.”
― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

“People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you're succeeding. People do not get scared when you're failing. It calms them. But when you're winning, it makes them feel like they're losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should've tried to do something too, but now it's too late. And since they didn't, they want to stop you. You can't let them.”
― Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me?

“I like the idea of saving to buy a place of my own or having some extra in the bank for an adventure once I figure out what kind of adventure I want to have. I see all these choices unrolling in front of me - career, travel, friends, geography - and despite things being insane and hard and messy, I don't think I've ever liked myself more than I do now. It's the strangest feeling to be proud simply because I'm taking care of me and mine. Is this what it's like to grow up?”
― Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners

“I thought it wouldn’t work, but I didn’t know it wouldn’t work, so I didn’t say anything. That might be the difference between men and women: Women need to know they are right before they stand up. Men are OK objecting if they just think they might be right.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“But that had also always been my thing: small but mighty, cheerfully girlfriend-y but hardworking, only an asshole when vitally necessary.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“I argued that modern women see no contradiction in being both informed and fashionable (and that men's magazines don't get much grief for running photos of women in bikinis alongside lengthy reportage).”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“The economists were talking about their alma maters (Dartmouth, William & Mary, MIT, Princeton), and Peter asked if Gibbs or I ever felt out of place because we didn't go to an Ivy League school. I could feel my face getting hot- remembering that awful day when I got skinny envelopes from Cornell, Brown, and Georgetown saying "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Well, we all ended up at the same table, didn't we?" Gibbs - who went to North Carolina State - shot back. "Seems like we got a bargain!" Um, true.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“I didn't realize what an important part of my life Shrummie was until he got sick. As I had moved around the country, he was the constant; he made all the random apartments I'd lived in feel like home. When I was upset or sick, he slept right next to me and wouldn't move. Even when work was shitty, you couldn't help but lighten up when he would stand at the front door waiting for you to get home so he could lead you to the cabinet with his food.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“Kindness often exists on a smaller scale than the grand gestures popular on social media would have you believe. Though anonymously paying off someone's student loans or giving a waitress a $5,000 tip are amazing acts of goodwill, things like being willing to cut someone some slack, or making a thoughtful phone call, can help another person so much.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“Ms. Mastromonaco, this is the Air Force One operator. We miss you up here! Are you available for a call from the president?"
Before I registered what was happening, I was on the phone with POTUS. "I heard we lost Shrummie today," he said. "There are a lot of sad faces up here on Air Force One right now. You should know- I'm pretty sure we saw his spirit up here over Denali.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“Maybe this all sounds cheesy to you. Maybe you're feeling secondhand embarrassment that Barack Obama called me to say he saw the spirit of my dead cat soaring over a mountain. Maybe you think I'm a spoiled baby- that there are real problems in the world and instead of dissecting them and advocating on behalf of them, I decided to end my book with a story about how much I love cats. Maybe the fact that my Instagram account consists primarily of pictures of these cats- or the fact that I have an Instagram account at all- is infuriating to you. Maybe you think this proves the point that I'm a "cupcake-eating cheerleader," and not a "serious" professional woman. I think a "serious" woman can also be a crazy cat lady, and I will be rescuing cats until someone has to rescue me.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

“Anything worth having involves some measure of pain and work. Because of this, you will treasure it more.”
― Roselle Lim, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune

“But the point is that things change, times change, and you will change. A shift in perspective is almost always a good thing.”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, So Here’s the Thing…: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut

“The most unexpected side effect of leaving the White House in 2014 was the sudden sense that I was no longer needed. I had withdrawal from not seeing the WH family every day, for sure, but although I'd expected to feel carefree, light, and enthusiastic about waking up after 8:00 A.M., I just felt unimportant. What was the point of me anymore?”
― Alyssa Mastromonaco, So Here’s the Thing…: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut