“And of course, the deepest irony about the young being cynical is that they are the ones that need to move, and dance, and trust the most.”
― How to Build a Girl
― How to Build a Girl
“Explaining why you love something is one of the most important jobs on earth.”
― How to Build a Girl
― How to Build a Girl
“When young people are cynical, and snarky, they shoot down their own future. When you keep saying "No," all that's left is what other people said "Yes" to before you were born. Really, "No" is no choice at all.”
― How to Build a Girl
― How to Build a Girl
“For when cynicism becomes the default language, playfulness and invention become impossible. Cynicism scours through a culture like bleach, wiping out millions of small, seedling ideas. Cynicism means your automatic answer becomes “No.” Cynicism means you presume everything will end in disappointment. And this is, ultimately, why anyone becomes cynical. Because they are scared of disappointment. Because they are scared someone will take advantage of them. Because they are fearful their innocence will be used against them—that when they run around gleefully trying to cram the whole world in their mouth, someone will try to poison them.”
― How to Build a Girl
― How to Build a Girl
“Because my biggest secret of all—the one I would rather die than tell, the one I wouldn’t even put in my diary—is that I really, truly, in my heart, want to be beautiful. I want to be beautiful so much—because it will keep me safe, and keep me lucky, and it’s too exhausting not to be.”
― How to Build a Girl
― How to Build a Girl
Fiona’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Fiona’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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