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Dad was a philosopher and had what he called his Theory of Purpose, which held that everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody's time.

Jeannette Walls

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Jeannette Walls
Age: 64
Born: 1960
Born: April 21
Journalist
Writer
Phoenix
Arizona
Everything
Planets
Time
Unless
Life
Taking
Wasting
Theory
Achieved
Called
Philosopher
Everybody
Held
Space
Dad
Purpose
Planet

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My older sister achieved her dream of being an artist. She's an illustrator living in Manhattan.
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I always wanted to be a serious journalist.
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Why spend the afternoon making a meal that will be gone in an hour, she'd ask us, when in the same amount of time, I can do a painting that will last forever?
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No child is born a delinquent. They only became that way if nobody loved them when they were kids. Unloved children grow up to be serial murderers or alcoholics.
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If you don't think you're hurt, then you aren't
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Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy. You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more.
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That was the thing to remember about all monsters, They love to frighten people, but the minute you stare them down, they turn tail and run.
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Mom told us we would have to go shoplifting. Isn't that a sin? I asked Mom. Not exactly, Mom said. God doesn't mind you bending the rules a little if you have a good reason. It's sort of like justifiable homicide. This is justifiable pilfering.
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You'll never make a fortune working for the boss man.
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The dangerous falls were the ones that happened so fast you didn't have time to react
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Since Mom wasn't exactly the most useful person in the world, one lesson I learned at an early age was how to get things done, and this was a source of both amazement and concern for Mom, who considered my behavior unladylike but also counted on me. I never knew a girl to have such gumption, she'd say. But I'm not too sure it's a good thing.
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Anyone who thinks he's too small to make a difference has never been bit by a mosquito
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I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets.
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Maybe I should have cut him some slack. With his broken wing and lifetime of eating roadkill, he probably had a lot to be ungrateful about. Too much hard luck can create a permanent meanness of spirit in any creature.
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Confidence doesn't come from thinking you're perfect or flawless. That's arrogance. Confidence comes from appreciating the beauty of your texture.
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I reached my full height at age 11, and I was clumsy as all get-out - all elbows and knees, couldn't get up a flight of stairs without falling down. I wanted to be a cute, petite blonde, but I'm a big ol' strapping thing, so I just accept it.
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In my opinion, trying to guess what readers want is the wrong approach. You have to tell your story as best you can and as true to yourself as possible. You have to be honest and fair and vulnerable and foolish and brave, and not care what anyone thinks of it.
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It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.
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But no matter how much planning you do, one tiny miscalculation, one moment of distraction, can end it all in an instant.
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Too much hard luck can create a permanent meanness of spirit in any creature.
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