Below, readers can explore a few of John Green’s best quotes, their origins, and what they mean. These touch on themes like love, identity, contemporary society, and more.
COVID-19
This is heartbreaking. It’s increasingly likely that in the next few months, tens of thousands of Americans will die of misinformation.
This is a particularly relevant and profound tweet that John Green made and shared alongside a story about people dying from COVID-19 and requesting the vaccine on their deathbeds. Of course, at that point, it is too late.
Brightening Lives
Today is March Fourth, The only day all year that is also a sentence!
One for all the word-nerds. Green uses this anomaly to brighten the lives of his vast social media following.
Reading a Book
Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.
If you are here, then there is a good chance you are a reader. If you are a reader, then you will almost certainly relate to this quote. Here, Green sums up how it feels to be absorbed in an imaginary world and how all you want to do is share that with somebody else. Of course, this is so much harder when not everybody reads.
The Fault in our Stars
Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.
This excellent quote comes from the bestselling novel, ‘The Fault in our Stars‘. It explores one of the novel recurring themes, how some infinities are more significant than others. That concept can sound daunting, but think about it: there is an infinite number of numbers 1 and 2, right? 1.0001, 1.002, etc. Well, the same could be said of all the numbers between 2 and 3, only that is a larger infinity.
An Abundance of Katherines
What’s the point in being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable? How very odd, to believe God gave you life, and yet not think that life asks more of you than watching TV.
This was a quote from ‘An Abundance of Katherines‘. It’s spoken by the character Colin. What is interesting about this quote is that it explores the idea of the divine and that God is watching you. Green is himself a man of faith and perhaps put a bit of himself into this book.
Paper Towns
Talking to a drunk person was like talking to an extremely happy, severely brain-damaged three-year-old.
This is from the novel ‘Paper Towns‘. It is yet another example of how relatable Green’s language is, even when the quote is as direct and to the point as this one is.
I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.
This is another gem from Paper Town. This is a compelling statement that speaks to the ability of human beings to survive and thrive through even the most painful of moments. That is until the final one comes along.
