I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
In this world, it's not enough to have a fine education. You need a piece of paper to prove you got it. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
...even though I was getting better education at home than any of the kids in Toyah, I'd need to go to finishing… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I listen to music mostly in the evening. I've come to love what is called world music, like the Zimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
You can't prepare for everything life's going to throw at you. And you can't avoid danger. It's there. The world is a… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I wondered if the fire had been out to get me. I wondered if all fire was related, like Dad said all… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I found out that people are incredibly compassionate and kind. It really changed my view of the world. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even people who seemed to have it… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
Since Mom wasn't exactly the most useful person in the world, one lesson I learned at an early age was how to… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I could see why Archimedes got all excited. There was nothing finer than the feeling that came rushing through you when it… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
If you had weak eyes, they needed exercise to get strong. Glasses were like crutches. They prevented people with feeble eyes from… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
With a complicated childhood, you can either focus on the positive or the negative, and I chose to focus on the positive. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“If you want to live in the farmland, haul your sorry hide off to Pennsylvania.” — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“I WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I had the big shoulders; I had the big hair. I loved the '80s. It was all about power women. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“That was the way man was meant to live, he’d say, in harmony with the wild, like the Indians, not this lords-of-the-earth crap, trying… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential. — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
“Don’t be afraid of your dark places,” Mom told her. “If you can shine a light on them, you’ll find treasure there.” — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
I hate Erma," I told Mom... "You have to show compassion for her..." She added that you should never hate anyone, even your worst… — Jeannette Walls Copy Share Image
