Darwin

“People say things like “Out of sight, out of mind” or “Love or even hate-love grows only when you meet often enough,” but they didn’t apply to Shoko. For her to call someone a friend, they had to be a safe distance away, out of sight and out of earshot, with absolutely zero chance of ever intruding on her life.”
― Choi Eunyoung, Shoko's Smile: Stories

“I don’t care how badly you treat me. There’s no way in the world I could hate you. I’m fine meeting like this, I just want to stay in the same space as you. When I think about how I won’t see you here in a week, I tear up even while I walk.”
― Choi Eunyoung, Shoko's Smile: Stories

“Eight of the ten commandments are about what thou shalt not. But you can live a whole life not doing any of that stuff and still avoid doing any good. That’s the whole crisis. The rot at the root of everything. The belief that goodness is built on a constructed absence, not-doing. That belief corrupts everything, has everyone with any power sitting on their hands.”
― Kaveh Akbar, Martyr!

“People locked their hearts at some point in their lives, as if everyone had agreed to do so. Then they made acquaintances outside those locks, with people who would never hurt them or be hurt by them, formed savings groups among themselves, vacationed with other married couples, or went hiking together. Telling each other that they never wanted to go back to being twenty. Saying they were pretty clueless back then, weren’t they?”
― Choi Eunyoung, Shoko's Smile: Stories