Drowning Quotes

“The life of a child is about firsts. The life of a parent is about lasts.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“that was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Time is luck. You grab it. You hold on tight. And you be there. You have to be there for it. It’s going, with or without you. And no one knows for how long. No one knows.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“In my professional opinion,” Jasmine said, “what Molly’s trying to say is: ‘I wish a bitch would.’ ”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Strong women know loving someone is easy. Respecting them is a choice.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“It didn’t matter if you died in a car crash or peacefully in your sleep at 102 or if you drowned in a plane at the bottom of the ocean. The end result would be the same. And that was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“And that was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“If there’s a fucking rainbow when they come outta there, I swear to god…”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“He prayed for pain and suffering and agonizing misery—because it would mean they’d survived.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Life is measured in birthdays. Graduations. Weddings. First steps. A first crush. A first kiss. Firsts, not lasts, are the tallies on a life’s scorecard.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“After all, it’s why we came to Hawaii. You should know, the cancer’s come back. The doctors said this time there was nothing they could do. Months. If I was lucky. Your father and I didn’t come to Hawaii for our anniversary. We came for one final adventure together. I wanted to spend what time I had left feeling alive. Experiencing grand and unexpected things. Well. I’d say I got my wish.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“To the kids: Be good to one another. You’re all you got now. Stick together and you’ll be fine. We are so proud of you. To Ruth: Making your coffee every morning was the greatest privilege of my life. I never once wanted anything more.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“We have to get out. I have to get you out,” Kit pleaded with Ruth. Ruth laid a wrinkled hand on Kit’s cheek and waited until she had her attention. Ruth tilted her head with a small smile. “Going down with the ship means nothing to those two little girls, sweetheart. This is my choice. Not yours. I choose here. Now. With Ira.” Ruth pulled back, and this time Kit let her go. Kit stood there, numb, watching the old woman swim away, heading deeper into the plane.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“You know, any one of us could have gotten out of the plane after the crash,” Kit said. “Everyone else did. But we stayed. I hate when people say everything happens for a reason.” She opened her arms wide and swung them around. “Tell me the reason. Tell me why this happened. So I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that being here with you has been the privilege of my life. It has been an honor to be your captain.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“The passengers in the plane shifted, moving back to let others come forward to the windows for a look. In one window appeared a man wearing an open button-down flannel shirt. Standing in front of him was a young girl with long, wavy brown hair. The man put his hands on the girl’s shoulders and they both smiled. There was a familial comfort to their touch. And the little girl was an exact younger version of Chris. Fitz held a hand over the phone. “Someone go call the mama bear to let her know.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“She’s not smart,” Will snapped. “Smart is me. Smart knows things. Memorizes things. Smart can be taught. What Chris has is something else. She has this way where she just gets it. Her ideas. They feel… inevitable. Obvious. So you go, How’d I not see that? But you never would have. Because your brain doesn’t work like hers. No one’s does. She’s beyond intelligence. Or even intuition. She’s…” The plane was quiet. Shannon was beaming. “They don’t have a word for what she is,” he said finally. “They’re all inadequate.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Will was always shocked by how easily people believed that things were going to be okay just because someone said so.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Ocean depths were broken into five zones for an easy shorthand. The surface down to approximately two hundred meters was known as the sunlight zone. This was the warmest part of the ocean, where sunlight could still reach, and it was also where the vast majority of all marine life lived. When people thought of the ocean, this was what they were thinking of. It was the only portion of the ocean that nearly all humans ever interacted with. Five percent. The sunlight zone made up only 5 percent of the ocean. After that… Twilight. Midnight. The abyss. The trenches. Or, as that depth was also called, the hadal zone. Named after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Captain Callahan,” Fitz said. “Can I ask where you’re calling from?” Camera three reached the aircraft door and the bright light reflected off the window, momentarily turning the screen completely white. The ROV rose. When the light shifted, a woman’s face appeared in the porthole window. The room erupted. The woman smiled in return, clearly hearing them on her end. “I think you already know, sir.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Flight 1421 was going down. But by stopping all traffic, by turning all attention to them, everyone was saying: You’re not alone. Kit cleared her throat. “Appreciate that. Unable. We’re gonna be in the water.” The pilots stared at the approaching ocean as the radio crackled with dead air. Kit could imagine the controller looking to his colleagues. Knowing this would be the last conversation this flight crew ever had. “Ah, roger that,” the controller responded. His voice cracked. “We got you on radar. Coast Guard is standing by for rescue and recovery.” There was a pause. “Godspeed, fourteen twenty-one.” “Coastal fourteen twenty-one, good day,” Kit said, the traditional sign-off sounding more like a goodbye.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Forgiveness. Acceptance. Peace. And love. Concepts became sensations became knowledge became known.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“I always thought we’d have time. I thought we’d work it out. But then I blinked, and all this time passed. Now I see it. I understand.” He paused. “Time is luck. You grab it. You hold on tight. And you be there. You have to be there for it. It’s going, with or without you. And no one knows for how long. No one knows.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Life is measured in birthdays. Graduations. Weddings. First steps. A first crush. A first kiss. Firsts, not lasts, are the tallies on a life’s scorecard. But as Will tucked a piece of her dark brown hair behind Shannon’s ear, he only thought of the lasts.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“You said the plane was on the edge of a cliff,” Feeny said. “It is,” Tanner replied. “No,” Chris said. “It’s ass-up like a skinny kid on a teeter-totter on the edge of a cliff. Big fucking difference.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“VOO—vessel of opportunity”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“In my professional opinion,” Jasmine said, “what Molly’s trying to say is: ‘I wish a bitch would.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Adults have their own intimate understanding of loss, and Will hated how they always tried to force a connection by invoking their personal experiences with grief. Will just wanted someone to listen. Like Maia was doing for Shannon.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“The additions to their home were like hashes on a doorframe marking a child’s height. The marks are what get noticed—but what matters is what happens in the spaces between them. The experiences in those spaces, the cards life deals you, that is what makes a house a home. That’s what makes a marriage. That’s what makes a family. It’s also what breaks them.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Molly pointed a finger at each passenger and counted out loud while making a personal inventory in her head. Ira and Ruth, the old couple. Bernadette, nurse. Jasmine, life vest woman. Andy, blue polo asshole. Will, smart guy. Shannon, smart kid. Ryan, newlywed widow. Maia, unaccompanied minor. Plus, what was left of the crew: Kit, Kaholo, herself.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning

“Suddenly it was clear to Kit. It didn’t matter if you died in a car crash or peacefully in your sleep at 102 or if you drowned in a plane at the bottom of the ocean. The end result would be the same. And that was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”
― T.J. Newman, Drowning