I'll Be Right There Quotes

“Life demands sacrifice and difficult decisions from us at every moment. Living does not mean passing through a void of nothingness but rather through a web of relationships among beings, each with their own weight and volume and texture.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“You should only ask someone if they love you if you love them, regardless of what the answer might be.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“If only we could have met each other sooner. We had led such poor and fragile lives, each alone.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Growing old does not make us any better at loving one another or understanding the meaning of life or death. Nor does knowledge come with the passage of time.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Time is always bearing down on us; nevertheless, had I understood in my youth that we can never relive the same moment twice, things might have turned out differently. Had I understood that, I would never have said goodbye to someone, and someone else might still be alive. If only I had known that the moment you think everything has ended, something new is beginning.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Each time I thought about him, the idea that I would never be able to reach him spread through my mind like a shadow.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“So, I revealed secrets I did not want known in order to feel closer to someone. Oh, the loss I felt when I found the secrets I had held dear, that were so difficult to say out loud, that I had kept to myself, were being spread around the next day as if they were nothing! I think that was the moment I realized that pouring your heart out to someone might not bring you closer but in fact make you poorer instead.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I had no way of knowing where it began or where it ended. Only that it flowed without restraint.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I wish someone would promise me that nothing is meaningless,” he said. “I wish there were promises worth believing in. That after we’ve been hunted and lonely and anxious and living in fear, there is something else. Considering the way we are living right now, if we were young at the end of our lives instead, then maybe our dreams could come true.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Without even having to think about it, I said, "I hope you all have someone who always makes you want to say, Let's remember this day forever." The students oohed and aahed, and then laughed at each other's reactions. I laughed with them. "Also..." They'd thought I was done but they quieted down again. "I hope you will never hesitate to say, I'll be right there.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Try thinking of sleep as a kind of rebirth.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Architects have to know everything there is to know about a space. You have to know its past and present. That way you can build its future.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Viewing the world from a different angle made it all look strange and dynamic, as if seeing it for the first time.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Taking his hand and letting it go was my way of saying goodbye.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I though it was weird to see people sleeping. It scared me to see them with their eyes closed. Like they might never wake up again.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“We are all travelers crossing from this bank to that bank, from this world to nirvana. But the waters are rough. We must rely on something in order to make it over. That something could be the art or literature that you aspire to create. You will think that the thing you choose will serve as your boat or raft to carry you to that other bank. But if you think deeply about it, you may find that it does not carry you but rather you carry it. Perhaps only the student who truly savors this paradox will make it safely across. Literature and art are not simply what will carry you; they are also what you must lay down your life for, what you must labor over and shoulder for the rest of your life.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I guess saying goodbye makes us reach out for those we would ordinarily ignore. Maybe we care about them more, too, when it is time to part.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I wish someone would promise me that nothing is meaningless,” he said. “I wish there were promises worth believing in. That after we’ve been hunted and lonely and anxious and living in fear, there is something else.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Back then, he and I were always waiting for each other.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“She said that cats were more attached to places than to people. And that was why cats are often found in abandoned houses.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Sometimes I wish we could start off old and get younger as we go," he said. "What would happen then?" I asked. "I guess we would both look old right now," he said. I could not imagine either of us looking old. "I wish someone would promise me that nothing is meaningless," he said. "I wish there were promises worth believing in. That after we have been hunted and lonely and anxious and living in fear, there is something else. Considering the way we are living right now, if we were young at the end of our lives instead, then maybe our dreams could come true.”
― Shin Kyung-sook, I'll Be Right There

“I believe that no matter how rough the world becomes, there will always be teachers and students learning from each other, and even when savage and violent powers obstruct our freedoms, there will always be earnest and heartfelt first loves and friendships being born. While writing, I was focused on and absorbed in giving expression to those moments. I believe those are the moments that define our lives. We may be the protagonists of tragedy, but we are also the heroes of our most beautiful and thrilling experiences.”
― Shin Kyung-sook, I'll Be Right There

“The future rushes in and all we can do is take our memories and move forward with them. Memory keeps only what it wants. Images from memories are sprinkled throughout our lives, but that does not mean we must believe that our own or other people’s memories are of things that really happened. When someone stubbornly insists that they saw something with their own eyes, I take it as a statement mixed with wishful thinking. As what they want to believe. Yet as imperfect as memories are, whenever I am faced with one, I cannot help getting lost in thought. Especially when that memory reminds me of what it felt like to be always out of place and always a step behind. Why was it so hard for me to open my eyes every morning, why was I so afraid to form a relationship with anyone, and why was I nevertheless able to break down my walls and find him?”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Right now, you and I are crossing a deep, dark river. Every time that enormous weight presses down on us and the waters of the river rise over our throats and we want to give up and slip beneath the surface, remember: as heavy as the load we shoulder is the world that we tread upon. Earthbound beings unfortunately cannot break free of gravity. Life demands sacrifice and difficult decisions from us at every moment. Living does not mean passing through a void of nothingness but rather through a web of relationships among beings, each with their own weight and volume and texture. Insofar as everything is always changing, so our sense of hope shall never die out. Therefore, I leave you all with one final thought: Live. Until you are down to your final breath, love and fight and rage and grieve and live.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“I’m trying to think about what I can do. But instead all that comes to mind are the things I can’t do. How do we judge truth and goodness? Where are justice and righteousness hiding? A society that is violent or corrupt prohibits mutual communication. A society that fears communication is unable to solve any problem. It looks for someone to shift the responsibility to and turns even more violent.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“The first thing she did after she found out she was sick was to send me to live with my older female cousin in the city. I was in middle school at the time. For my mother, sending me away was her way of loving me. She said I was too young to be tied down to a sick mother and that I had too much to live for. Everybody has to say goodbye eventually, she told me, so you may as well start practicing. I cannot say she was right. I think that if we all have to say goodbye eventually then the best we can do is try to stay together as long as we possibly can. But it’s not that one of us was right and the other was wrong. We just saw things differently.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“If I opened my mouth to say a single word, all of the other expired words would have followed and spilled to the ground, as if the string that held them together had snapped.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Maybe if we hug a hundred strangers, he said, something will change.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“The baby bird was too frightened to flap its wings and just cowered in my hand. So i put it in my pocket. I couldn't stop petting it. I think it was the first time i ever touched something that way. My small pocket was squirming with life. It felt like I held the entire world in it. I don't remember how old i was, but i remember the joy i felt. I love you as much as the joy i felt.”
― Kyung-sook Shin, I'll Be Right There

“Will these days ever come again?"

My friend had meant it in an offhand way, but the comment cut deep.

"Not the same days," someone said sadly.”
― Shin Kyung-sook, I'll Be Right There