I try hard and aim big. People can hate or love my books but they can never accuse me of not trying.

A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.

… it was raining on Himmel Street when the world ended for Liesel Meminger. The sky was dripping. Like a tap that a child has tried its hardest to turn off but hasn’t quite managed.

Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.

Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.

Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.

I have to say that although it broke my heart, I was, and still am, glad I was there.

Please, trust me, I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.

I guess that’s the beauty of books. When they finish they don’t really finish.

Sometimes I just survive. But sometimes I stand on the rooftop of my existence, arms stretched out, begging for more.

If only she could be so oblivious again, to feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter.

The loneliness of command had made Eisenhower emotionally self-sufficient.

I've been in elementary education for years and my belief is that Christmas pageants in schools are little more than conditioning kids for the Christian religion.

The skull is nature's sculpture.

I can assure you that everyone that talks to me doesn't share my views. I seem to be a barometer of public opinion.

The strongest have their moments of fatigue.

... it's hard to be politically conscious and upwardly mobile at the same time.

To obtain success, you must get the most out of your ability and to do that you must work on your weaknesses.

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.

Personal relationships are always the key to good business. You can buy networking; you can't buy friendships.

If you want people to understand that you value their contributions and that they are important, the recognition and praise you provide must have meaning that is specific to each individual.