It was so risky and so scary, and yet at the same time, so beautiful. Maybe the truth was, it shouldn't be easy to be amazing. Then everything would be. It's the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth. When something's difficult to come by, you'll do that much more to make sure it's even harder -if not impossible- to lose.

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Auden West Eli Stock Life Lesson Overcoming Obstacles Risks Sarah Dessen Truth

It all counts,' Adam said again. 'And the bottom line is, what defines you isn't how many times you crash, but the number of times you get back on the bike. As long as it's one more, you're all good.-pg 325 Along for the Ride

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Hope Sarah Dessen

Maybe if I'd agreed to do the debutante thing like she wanted. Or taken up pageants instead of riding jump bikes with a bunch of grungy boys. I'd always tell her, why can't I do both? Who says you have to be either smart or pretty, or into girly stuff or sports? Life shouldn't be about the either/or. We're capable of more than that, you know?

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Auden West Bikes Boys Capable Of More Debutante Either Or Girly Life Life Lessons Maggie Neely Pageants Pretty Riding Sarah Dessen Smart Sports

...You can't unlearn something, even if you want to. You know what you know.

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Learning Sarah Dessen

Why should I even bother? What's the point, really?He thought for a moment. Who says there has to be a point? he asked. Or a reason. Maybe it's just something you have to do.

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Auden Eli Meaning Point Reason Sarah Desson Why

To me, summer has always been about potential. This was especially true when I was in high school. Those 3 or so months between 1 school year and the next always meant change. People got taller or wider or smaller. They broke up or came together, lost friends or gained them, had life experiences that you could tell had transformed them even if you didn't know what they were. In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible. As a teenager, I was always hoping to change, to become someone other than who I was. Each summer, I felt I had the chance to do that. All I had to do was wait and see what happened.

~ Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride Sarah Dessen Summer