Quotes by Nicholas Sparks

Part of me aches at the thought of her being so close yet so untouchable.

Youre going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, its always their actions you should judge them by. Its actions, not words, that matter.

You can’t live your life for other people. Youve got to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.

Theres a lot of magic between you too, aint no denying that. And magic makes forgettin hard.

And when I came in with tears in my eyes, you always knew whether I needed you to hold me or just let me be. I dont know how you knew, but you did, and you made it easier for me.

At times, it almost felt like I was destined to take the trip, like all the people I met had somehow been waiting for me

That initial anger she had felt turned to sadness, and now it had become something else, almost a dullness of sorts. Even though she was constantly in motion, it seemed as if nothing special ever happened to her anymore. Each day seemed exactly like the last, and she had trouble differentiating among them.

You know how it is. You feel a little different because other people have two parents, even if they’re divorced. It’s like you grow up knowing that you’re missing something important that everyone else has, but you don’t know exactly what it is. I remember hearing my friends talking about how their fathers wouldnt let them stay out late or didnt like their boyfriends. It used to make me so angry because they didnt even realize what they had. Do you know what I mean?

Outside the hospital, I squinted in the harsh morning sunlight. I could hear birds chirping in the tree, but even though I searched for them, they remained hidden from me.

because the past was always around her and might return at any time. It prowled the world searching for her, and she knew it was growing angrier at every passing day.

If it’s over, then don’t let the past screw up the rest of your life.

I realize that I don’t know where to start. Not because I’m unsure of my story, but because I’m not sure why I feel compelled to tell it in the first place. What can be achieved by unearthing the past?

Everyone has a past, but thats just it--its in the past. You can learn from it, but you cant change it.

And suddenly she knew exactly why Catherine had fallen in love with him. It wasnt that he was unusually attractive, or ambitious, or even charming. He was partly those things, but more important, he seemed to live life on his own terms.

The lessons my parents taught are still with me. I keep a tighter leash when raising my kids than my parents did, but I often find myself doing or saying the same things they did. My mom, for instance, was always cheerful when coming in from work; I try to behave the same way when I finish writing for the day. My dad would listen intently when I came to him with a problem, to help me find a way to solve it on my own; I try to do the same with my own kids. At night, while Im tucking my kids in bed, I ask them to tell me three nice things that each of their siblings did for them that day, in the hopes that it will help them grow as close as Micah, Dana, and I did. And more frequently than I ever would have imagined possible growing up, I find myself telling my children Its your life, or No one ever promised that life would be fair, and What you want and what you get are usually two entirely different things.

Dean: If there is a greater power, why is it he cant get you a new sweater?Jamie: Because, hes too busy looking for your brain.

In the end, people should be judged by their actions, since in the end, it was actions that defined everyone.

Experience had taught me that even the most precious memories fade with the passage of time.

It doesnt sound so far-fetched, right? When two people love each other? While a part of me still wants to believe its possible, I know its not going to happen

Emotions come and go and cant be controlled so theres no reason to worry about them. That in the end, people should be judged by their actions since in the end it was actions that defined everyone.