--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Milestone! This is a momentous occasion,\"…" description: "\"Milestone! This is a momentous occasion,\" he tells her cheerily. \"It should be witnessed by a friend.\" She throws him an icy gaze, and he does a verbal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png" --- # Milestone! This is a momentous occasion," he tells her… ![“Milestone! This is a momentous occasion," he tells her cheerily. "It should be witnessed by a friend." She throws him an icy gaze, and he does a verbal back pedal. "Aaaand since no friends are present, I'll have to do.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png) > “Milestone! This is a momentous occasion," he tells her cheerily. "It should be witnessed by a friend." She throws him an icy gaze, and he does a verbal back pedal. "Aaaand since no friends are present, I'll have to do.” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character tries to create a shared experience but is rebuffed, highlighting social awkwardness and the need for genuine connection. **In simple terms:** He wants a friend to witness a moment, but she rejects him. Key Takeaway Seek authentic connections, not forced ones. Themes social awkwardness communication validation Mood embarrassed hopeful Type observational conversational When to use this quote - dating - celebrations - public speaking - friendship attempts Key Concepts interpersonal dynamics social performance Questions to Reflect On - How do you read non‑verbal cues before planning a shared event? - What makes a moment feel genuine? A Different Perspective The gesture may feel insincere if the other party is uncomfortable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Milestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milestone/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) ## Related quotes > [When our friends are present we ought to treat them well; and when they are absent, to speak of them well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-our-friends-are-present-we-ought-to-treat-them-well-and-when/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Flowers are great human friends and are always present in their moments of joy and pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/flowers-are-great-human-friends-and-are-always-present-in-their/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lake/live-and-live-well-breathe-breathe-in-and-breathe-deeply-be-present-2/) [Kyle Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lake/) > [Possibly the tragedy of the bicycle is that it was invented too close in time to the car. In the historical scheme, pedal power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ballantine/possibly-the-tragedy-of-the-bicycle-is-that-it-was-invented-too-close/) Richard Ballantine > [If the gas pedal on your car is shaped like a bare foot, you might be a redneck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/if-the-gas-pedal-on-your-car-is-shaped-like-a-bare-foot-you-might-be/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [There are lots of really good guitarists, but they play with the same pedals that everybody else does. Everybody buys the same pedals, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/there-are-lots-of-really-good-guitarists-but-they-play-with-the-same/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Never fly anything that doesn't have the paint worn off the rudder Pedals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-harry/never-fly-anything-that-doesn-t-have-the-paint-worn-off-the-rudder/) Bill Harry > [I'm obsessed with fuzz pedals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-clark-jr/i-m-obsessed-with-fuzz-pedals/) [Gary Clark, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-clark-jr/) > [When in doubt, make funny faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/when-in-doubt-make-funny-faces/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [For 50 years bike racers have been taking stimulants. Obviously we can do without them in a race, but then we will pedal 15…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-anquetil/for-50-years-bike-racers-have-been-taking-stimulants-obviously-we-can/) [Jacques Anquetil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-anquetil/) > [I remember an old Singer sewing machine at home that belonged to my grandmother. It had a pedal. My mom taught me how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibhu-mohapatra/i-remember-an-old-singer-sewing-machine-at-home-that-belonged-to-my/) [Bibhu Mohapatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibhu-mohapatra/) > [I know that's a vague answer, but you just have to really pedal yourself around town and attempt to not get too discouraged. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-faris/i-know-that-s-a-vague-answer-but-you-just-have-to-really-pedal/) [Anna Faris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-faris/) > [“A journey of 4,000 miles begins with a stack of pancakes and one turn of the pedals" - David Barnas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-purdum/a-journey-of-4-000-miles-begins-with-a-stack-of-pancakes-and-one-turn/) Stan Purdum > [Our economy is on the move and we are creating thousands of new jobs, but we need to keep our foot on the gas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/our-economy-is-on-the-move-and-we-are-creating-thousands-of-new-jobs/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) [Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## More Doe quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Milestone! This is a momentous occasion,\" he tells her cheerily. \"It should be witnessed by a friend.\" She throws him an icy gaze, and he does a verbal back pedal. \"Aaaand since no friends are present, I'll have to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Shusterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-he-tells-her-cheerily-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-he-tells-her-cheerily-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/neal-shusterman-412_doe_milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-h_468977.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Milestone! This is a momentous occasion,\" he tells her cheerily. \"It should be witnessed by a friend.\" She…” — Neal Shusterman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Neal Shusterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Milestone! This is a momentous occasion,\"...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-he-tells-her-cheerily-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/milestone-this-is-a-momentous-occasion-he-tells-her-cheerily-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```