Cover of The Inner Circle

The Inner Circle

by Brad Meltzer

30 popular highlights from this book

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Key Insights & Memorable Quotes

Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from The Inner Circle:

“there's nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood. And understanding someone else.”
“She dumped me for the worst reason of all. For absolutely no reason at all...I mean, if she fell in love with someone else, or I did something wrong, or I let her down in some unforgivable way...That, I'd understand, right? But instead, she said...it wasn't anything. Not a single thing. It was just me. I was nice. I was kind. We just...she didn't see the connection anymore. I think she thought I was boring. And the cruelest part is, when someone says something mean about you, you know when they're right.”
“In this world, there was nothing scarier than trusting someone. But there was also nothing more rewarding.”
“No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.”
“It's the worst part of seeing old friends: when your rose-colored memories become undone by reality.”
“The worst lies in life are the ones we tell ourselves.”
“She wasn't tracking down her father to learn more about him. She was tracking him down to learn more about herself.”
“...can I tell you something...? I don't think you're in love with the past. I think you're scared of the future.”
“There are some people in your life who bring back old memories. And there are others - your first kiss, your first love, your first sex - who, the moment you see them, bring a spark...and something far more potent. They bring back your old life and with that, potential. And possibilities. And the feeling that if you were back in that time, life could be so very different from where you're stuck right now. That's the most tantalizing thing....I want my potential back.”
“You tell them - you tell them there's a cost.....Every decision we make in life, there's always a cost.”
“History doesn't choose individual people. History chooses everyone. Every day. The only question is: How long will you ignore the call?”
“We're all being tested...That's what life is.”
“Don't go to eighth grade...don't talk about something old...don't bring up old memories that have nothing to do with who we are now. THIS is all that matters! TODAY.”
“Our fathers never leave us. Ever.”
“...there are certain traits that God puts in each of us. There's no escaping them.”
“Since the moment I saw her yesterday, I've been looking through the sparkly prism of exhilaration that comes with any old flame. But now, for the first time, I'm not just seeing what I want. I'm seeing what my friend needs.”
“Today, I don't believe in destiny. But I do believe in history...There's nothing more powerful than history...”
“The past may not hurt you, but it won't challenge you, either.”
“...history is a selection process - it chooses moments and events, and even people - it hands them a situation that they shouldn't be able to overcome, and it's in those moments, in that fight, that people find out who they are.”
“...I'm not saying I needed my life to be a symphony - I just never thought it'd turn out to be a country song.”
“Most archivists don't like surprises. That's why we work in the past.”
“Not every President is a great speaker. Not every President is a great thinker. But in the modern era, every single President is a master of one thing: eye contact.”
“I need the kind of help that comes with a side order of help.”
“From ancient to modern times, the human animal knows how to find fighting.”
“...but ever since she returned to my life...life doesn't make complete sense. But it definitely makes more sense than it used to.”
“there’s nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood. And understanding someone else.”
“According to Benjamin Franklin, “He that can have patience, can have what he will.”
“the turkeys get you down.” He then slipped the note into”
“they can also be as manipulative as a James Taylor song. Sure, they're calming and bring you to a good place-but at their core, the whole goal of the damn thing is to undo you.”
“History isn't written by the winners - it's written by everyone - it's a jigsaw of facts from contradictory sources. But every once in a while, you unearth that one original document that no one can argue with...”

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