Nicholas Sparks: Doing (page 4)

“I can no more give Jamie away than I can give away my heart. But what I can do is let another share in the joy that she has always given me.”

Nicholas Sparks

Hegbert Sullivan, Chapter 13, p. 239
1990s, A Walk to Remember (1999)

Heart , Joy

“You are a smart man, Ira, but sometimes I think you do not understand women very well.”

Nicholas Sparks

Ruth Levinson, Chapter 20 Ira, p. 267
2009, The Longest Ride (2013)

Women , Understanding , Thinking

“…feeling her helplessness. There was nothing worse. Most people lived under the illusion that they were in control of their lives, but that wasn't completely true. Yeah, you could decide what to have for breakfast and what to wear and all those little things, but as soon as you stepped out into the world, you were pretty much at the mercy of everyone else around you, and all you could do was hope that if they were having a bad day, they wouldn't decide to take it out on you.”

Nicholas Sparks

Jennifer Romanello, Chapter 30, p. 323
2000s, The Guardian (2003)

People , World , Hope , Feeling

“So many people these days, it seemed, believed that these things (personal fulfillment and self-esteem) could come only from work, not from parenting, and many people believed that having children had nothing to do with raising them.”

Nicholas Sparks

Taylor McAden, Chapter 18, p. 200
2000s, The Rescue (2000)

Children , People , Parent , Personality

“…once she becomes a teenager…well, sometimes there's nothing you can do. With or without you, in the end, children grow up to become the people they were meant to be.”

Nicholas Sparks

Lexie Darnell, Chapter 16, p. 196-197
2000s, At First Sight (2005)

Children , People

“You have to understand that I'm not the girl I used to be. I'm a wife and a mother now, and like everyone else I'm not perfect. I struggle with the choices I've made and I make mistakes, and half the time I wonder who I really am or what I'm doing or whether my life means anything at all. I'm not special at all, Dawson, and you need to know that. You have to understand that I'm just…ordinary.”

Nicholas Sparks

Amanda Collier Ridley, Chapter 11, p. 171
2009, The Best of Me (2011)

Life , Girl , Understanding , Time

“Kids are people, too, and once they start getting older, they make their own decisions. There's only so much you can do.”

Nicholas Sparks

Lexie Darnell, Chapter 16, p. 196
2000s, At First Sight (2005)

People , Decision

“…suddenly certain that what he was doing now was the sole reason he'd been placed on this earth. To love another. To care for someone else, to help another person, to carry her worries until she was strong enough to carry them on her own. To care for someone unconditionally, for in the end that was what gave life meaning.”

Nicholas Sparks

Jeremy Marsh, Chapter 20, p. 263
2000s, At First Sight (2005)

Love , Life , Strong , Help

“You're doing the best you can, right? Isn't that what we always tell each other?”

Nicholas Sparks

Gabby Parker, Chapter 19, p. 227
2000s, The Choice (2007)

“Why? Do you want to rescue me, too, Taylor? … That's what you're trying to do, isn't it? … I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's not what I need right now. I need to handle this my own way.”

Nicholas Sparks

Melissa Johnson, Chapter 26, p. 308-309
2000s, The Rescue (2000)

Way

“You know me better than anyone, and you're my best friend. I don't think there's anything you could say to me that would lead me to believe that you're doing it just to hurt me. If there's one thing I've come to know about you, it's that you're not even capable of something like that. Why do you think I like spending time with you so much? Because you're a good guy. A nice guy.”

Nicholas Sparks

Julie Barenson, Chapter 15, p. 163
2000s, The Guardian (2003)

Guy , Thinking , Time , Hurt

“My mom used to tell me that whatever you do, marry someone who loves you more than you love him.”

Nicholas Sparks

Emma Harris, Chapter 19, p. 202
2000s, The Guardian (2003)

Love , Moms

“My plea to you is this: despite your sadness, do not forget how happy you have made me; do not forget that I loved a man who loved me in return, and this was the greatest gift I could ever hope to receive.”

Nicholas Sparks

Ruth Levinson, Chapter 28 Ira, p. 328-329
2009, The Longest Ride (2013)

Love , Sadness , Hope , Forgetting

“…(in the army) you're forced to learn the most important lesson in life, and that's the fact that you have to live up to your responsibilities, and you better do it right. When given an order, you can't say no. It's no exaggeration to say that lives are on the line. One wrong decision, and your buddy might die. It's this fact that makes the army work. That's the big mistake a lot of people make when they wonder how soldiers can put their lives on the line day after day or how they can fight for something they may not believe in. Not everyone does. …but when all is said and done, we do what we do for one another. For friendship. Not for country, not for patriotism, not because we're programmed killing machines, but because of the guy next to you. You fight for your friend, to keep him alive, and he fights for you, and everything about the army is built on this simple premise.”

Nicholas Sparks

John Tyree, Chapter 1, p. 18-19
2000s, Dear John (2006)

Life , Friendship , People , Guy

“I can't make this decision for you, Allie, this one's all yours. I want you to know, though, that I love you. And I always will. I know that doesn't help, but it's all I can do.”

Nicholas Sparks

Anne Nelson, An Unexpected Visitor, p. 138
1990s, The Notebook (1996)

Love , Decision , Help

“That was one of the great things about being single: A person could pretty much do what he wanted, whenever he wanted, and introspection was only an option.”

Nicholas Sparks

Travis Parker, Chapter 4, p. 54
2000s, The Choice (2007)

Personality

“"… the secret of a long lasting marriage is…… communication. When we talk about issues and really open up to each other, things are great between us. When we keep things to ourselves, grudges and resentments build up and we end up arguing." …"What good is talking if neither of you are really committed?… marriage comes down to actions. I think people talk too much about the things that bother them, instead of actually doing the little things that keep a marriage strong. You have to know what your spouse needs from you, and then you do it. And you avoid doing the things that harm the relationship. If your spouse acts the same way, your marriage can make it through anything."”

Nicholas Sparks

Micah and Nicholas Sparks, Chapter 8, p. 113-114
2000s, Three Weeks with My Brother (2004)

Marriage , People , Secret , Way

“"I know we've had our differences, Allie, and that we haven't seen eye to eye on everything. I'm not perfect, but I did the best I could with raising you. I'm your mother and I always will be. That means I'll always love you."
Allie was silent for a moment, then: "What should I do?"
"I don't know, Allie. That's up to you. But I would think about it. Think about what you really want."”

Nicholas Sparks

Anne Nelson and Allie Nelson, An Unexpected Visitor, p. 137
1990s, The Notebook (1996)

Love , Thinking , Perfection

“But would she do it differently if she could? She doubted it. Her experiences growing up ad formed her into the woman that she'd become, just as his experiences had formed him, and she didn't regret them. And yet…she knew that wasn't the question that mattered. …she realized the choice before her was this: Where do I go from here?
It is never too late to change things.”

Nicholas Sparks

Gabby Holland, Chapter 13, p. 168
2000s, The Choice (2007)

Question , Change

“My Dearest Catherine,
I miss you, my darling, as I always do, but today is especially hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together.”

Nicholas Sparks

Garrett Blake, Chapter 1, p. 20
1990s, Message in a Bottle (1998)

Life , Singing