Jeannette Walls Quotes: 9

• One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. "You'd be destroying what makes it special,"she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.

  The Glass Castle

• Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy. You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more.

  The Glass Castle

• Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential.

  The Glass Castle

• If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise.

  Half Broke Horses

• You didn't need a college degree to become one of the people who knew what was really going on. If you paid attention, you could pick things up on your own.

  The Glass Castle

• Dad was a philosopher and had what he called his Theory of Purpose, which held that everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody's time.

  Half Broke Horses

• In this world, it's not enough to have a fine education. You need a piece of paper to prove you got it.

  Half Broke Horses

• ...even though I was getting better education at home than any of the kids in Toyah, I'd need to go to finishing school when I was thirteen, both to acquire social graces and to earn a diploma. Because in this world, Dad said, it's not enough to have a fine education. You need a piece of paper to prove you go it.

  Half Broke Horses

• Everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody's time.

  Half Broke Horses