★

“Everyone's born as clean as a whistle—
As fresh as a daisy
And not a bit crazy.
Staying that way's a hard row for hoeing—
As rough as a briar,
Like walking through fire.

This world, it's dark,
And this world, it's scary.
I've taken some hits, so
No wonder I'm wary.
It's why I
Need you—
You're pure as the driven snow.”
― Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.”
― Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

“She’s pretty, but her face doesn’t transform into sunlight when she talks about music.” He did that clench thing with his jaw and said, “She’s funny, but not spit-out-your-drink-in-astonishment funny.” It felt like my heart was going to explode as his eyes moved down to my lips under the glow of the buzzing streetlight. He moved his face a little closer to mine, looked into my eyes, and rumbled, “And when I see her, I don’t feel like I have to talk to her or mess up her hair or do something—anything—to get her to swing that gaze on me.”
― Lynn Painter, Better Than the Movies

“You're mine and I'm yours. It's written in the stars.”
― Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes