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“In front of my mother and my sisters, I pretend love is cheap and vulgar. I act like it’s a sin–I pretend that love is for women on a dark path. But at night I dream of a love so heavy it makes my spine throb. I dream up a lover who makes love like he is separating salt from water.”
― Salma Deera

“You can’t be a good friend to someone else unless you’re a good friend to yourself first.”
― Naya Rivera, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up

“When we let tensions fester, or allow familiarity to pass for understanding, we tend to leave parts of ourselves out of our most important relationships.”
― Anna Sale, Let's Talk About Hard Things

“It’s not that she doesn’t believe in love. But seeing other people’s stories unfold always feels like watching a movie she would never have picked out for herself. Somewhere there must be a version that’s more like the films in her head, bright and colorful and unique.”
― Jennifer E. Smith, Field Notes on Love