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“Pay attention to the things that connect you with joy.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“The world keeps hanging on to this idea that love is for the gullible. But nothing could be more wrong. Love is only for the brave.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“I'm telling you. I know all about darkness. That's why I am so hell-bent, every damn day, on looking for the light.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“the more I felt like joy was cumulative. That it wasn’t about finding one big thing—but about collecting as many tiny pieces as you could.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“The point is to be happy anyway. As often as you can.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“We made a choice to do joy on purpose. Not in spite of life’s sorrows. But because of them.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“It’s a choice,�� I went on, feeling like I needed to make him see. “A choice to value the good things that matter. A choice to rise above everything that could pull you down. A choice to look misery right in the eyes �� and then give it the finger.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“We didn't fix everything for each other--but we didn't have to. We just made a choice to be there. Which counted for a lot.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Love makes you better because it’s hard. Taking risks makes you better because it’s terrifying. That’s how it works. You’ll never get anything that matters without earning it. And even what you get”—she lifted her chin in defiance—“you won’t get to keep. Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Choose joy on purpose.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Life doesn’t ever give you what you want just the way you want it. Life doesn’t ever make things easy. How dare you demand that happiness should be yours without any sacrifice—without any courage?”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“It’s one of the secrets to life that no one ever tells you. Joy cures everything.�� I flared my nostrils. “Everything?�� I challenged, pointing at the bandage over my stitches.�� “Everything emotional,�� Max clarified. “I don’t think you can cure emotions,�� I said. But Max just nodded. “Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow.�� “But you can’t just decide to feel joyful.�� “True. But you can decide to do something joyful.�� I considered that. “You can hug somebody. Or crank up the radio. Or watch a funny movie. Or tickle somebody. Or lip-synch your favorite song. Or buy the person behind you at Starbucks a coffee. Or wear a flower hat to work.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“I wasn't a stranger to grieving, to the way it drowned you but didn't kill you - only kept you submerged for so long you forgot what air and sunshine even felt like. I knew that grief set its own timeline, and that the only way out was through.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“It’s a choice,�� I went on, feeling like I needed to make him see. “A choice to value the good things that matter. A choice to rise above everything that could pull you down. A choice to look misery right in the eyes �� and then give it the finger.�� “So it’s a hostile kind of joy.�� He was mocking me. “Sometimes,�� I said defiantly.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Dude—I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Love makes you better because it’s hard. Taking risks makes you better because it’s terrifying. That’s how it works. You’ll never get anything that matters without earning it. And even what you get”—she lifted her chin in defiance—“you won’t get to keep. Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage is. Knowing all that going in—and going in anyway.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“She knew that joy and sorrow walked side by side. She knew that being alive meant risking one for the other. And she also knew, as I was starting to understand in a whole new way, that it was always better to dance than to refuse.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“This is what it means to be fully alive. To feel it all—the joy and the sorrow, the hope and the fear. This is what life demands of us. You just have to stay, and try, and let life break your heart.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Life is full of danger. Terrible things happen all the time. That doesn’t mean you live your life in fear.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“It’s a deliberate kind of joy. It’s a conscious kind of joy. It’s joy on purpose.�� Duncan squinted like he really wasn’t sold. “In clown socks and a tutu.�� “I’m telling you. I know all about darkness. That’s why I am so hell-bent, every damn day, on looking for the light.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Even people with terrible people skills didn't have people skills this terrible.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“courage makes everything easier next time.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“courage makes everything easier next time. And I’m not going to let you live your life in fear.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage is. Knowing all that going in—and going in anyway.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow.�� “But you can’t just decide to feel joyful.�� “True. But you can decide to do something joyful.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Okay. Listen close. Pay attention to the things that connect you with joy.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“Life doesn’t ever give you what you want just the way you want it. Life doesn’t ever make things easy. How dare you demand that happiness should be yours without any sacrifice—without any courage? What an incredibly spoiled idea—that anything should come easy? Love makes you better because it’s hard. Taking risks makes you better because it’s terrifying. That’s how it works. You’ll never get anything that matters without earning it. And even what you get”—she lifted her chin in defiance—“you won’t get to keep. Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage is. Knowing all that going in—and going in anyway.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For

“You can’t live your whole life in fear. You can’t insulate yourself from everything. Kids get hurt all the time—but we don’t make them wear bicycle helmets everywhere. You take reasonable precautions, and then you hope for the best. That’s all you can do.”
― Katherine Center, What You Wish For