Quotes by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Maybe everyone is just waiting for someone else to save them.

I want to Live! Not Die, Not Hide, LIVE!

And Nedley started saying,Shut Up!Quit that! And i knew it really meant something to him. So I asked for his help,Mark said. Dont tell the story like that, Nedley laughed. What he said was Quit pretendin youre a bad guy I need your help, and I need it now!

A thousand times today Ive started to open my mouth, started to squeak out, Can you tell me...? But then Id look into the front seat, at my mothers silent shaking, my fathers grim profile, the mournful bags under his eyes, and all the questions I might ask seemed abusive. Assault and battery, a question mark used like a club. My parents are old and fragile. Id have to heartless to want to hurt them.

Oh, Myr, he chokes out. I hate having to ask this of you...He glances towards the car again, and I crouch down in the shadows, hoping its too dark for him to see whether the window is open or closed. The woman pats his arm, cradling her hand against his elbow.You know Id do anything for you and Hil, she says. I like her voice. Its throaty and rich.Youd do anything? my father repeats numbly. Even now? After -?Even now, the woman says firmly.

Was it still paranoia if all his fears were justified?

I snorted oh, beauty. Whats that good for?Mary stared, her eyes round.It won you the prince, did it not?I snorted again, I prefer to think that he was captivated by my charming personality. I giggled to let Mary know I was trying to make fun of myself.

...is any history really all that ancient?...Doesnt every moment from the past affect the present?

Ah, but is any history really all that ancient? Second asked. Doesnt every moment from the past affect the present? This man was more annoying than any history teacher Jordan had ever had.

Why did everyone like that story so much when it wasnt true? Why was everyone so eager to believe it? Was it because, in real life, ever afters generally stink?

To quote a famous philosopher revered in my time But this is no different from regular life. When have you ever known whats going to happen in the future? Wait a minute, Jonah thought. I said that. Back at Westminster, with Katherine. Does that mean Im going to be a famous philosopher in the future? Does that mean Im going to be revered? There wasnt time to ask.

It’s like I’d been walking a tightrope with a big safety net underneath me, but I never really thought about the net until someone took it away. And then every single step scared me to death.

I like the fact that kids are willing to be imaginative and go along with me when Im telling strange tales.

I start to think, Its awful being too poor to even buy my own dress for homecoming. But thats instantly swept away by another thought: Im so lucky that someone cates enough to loan me a dress.

I can tell you that you will have your hearts broken more by the people you love than by the people you hate. But you must still dare to love. The rewards are worth far more than the risks.

Governments will rise, and governments will fall, and man will do evil to man, and all we can do is turn our hearts to good.

Why didnt you tell me that evil could be so lighthearted?

But things are so bad, I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t do something.

The sudden silence is horrifying, and it seems to catch my mother off guard. A tiny whimper escapes her, the sound amplified in the stillness. Surely, my father hears her now; surely he and I cant go on pretending she isnt crying.

Unlike my mother, my father does not cry quietly. His wails roll out like a wave of pain, and I scramble to roll up my window. My mother cannot hear that. I cannot bear to hear it myself. I am not used to my fathers crying. Ive had no time to harden my heart against him.