This life was fleeting.

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those."

--Michael Nolan

"Isn't that how it is when you must decide with your heart? You are not just choosing one thing over another. You are choosing what you want. And you are also choosing what somebody else does not want, and all the consequences that follow. You can tell yourself, 'That's not my problem,' but those words do not wash the trouble away. Maybe it is no longer a problem in your life. But it is always a problem in your heart."

--Amy Tan, 'The Kitchen God's Wife

“I was never going to be perfect, and what had all my efforts gotten me, really in the end? A boyfriend who pushed me away the minute I cracked, making the mistake of being human. Great grades that would still never be good enough for girls who knew everything. A quiet, still life, free of any risks, and so many sleepless nights to spend within it, my heart heavy, keeping secrets my sister had empowered herself by telling. This life was fleeting, and I was still searching for the way I wanted to spend it that it was, not yet. But something told me I wouldn’t find it here.”

--Sarah Dessen, 'The Truth About Forever'