"The Secret Life of Bees" Quotes

You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside.

Knowing can be a curse on a person's life. I'd traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and I didn't know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though, because once you know the truth, you can't ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now.

Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.

The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.

The world is really one big bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places. Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved.

She could see the person I wanted to be, and so I became her.

People can start out one way and by the time life gets through with them, they end up completely different.

I wanted to go to where people were when they were born and died, where they came from and where they went to afterward. I wanted to see the places they got to call home.

I didn't know what I was doing, but I didn't let on. The fact that I was ignorant didn't mean I was stupid.

I could never decide if the world was full of wicked people or if the wicked people were just louder.