Isabel Gillies > Quotes

“I believe in love. I believe in hard times and love winning. I believe marriage is hard. I believe people make mistakes. I believe people can want two things at once. I believe people are selfish and generous at the same time. I believe very few people want to hurt others. I believe that you can be surprised by life. I believe in happy endings.”
― Isabel Gillies, Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story

“Love must be extraordinarily powerful for so many people to ignore dangerous, red, blaring warning signs - or not to be able to see them at all until it is too late.”
― Isabel Gillies

“ it is about trying to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness, and loving your life even if it has slipped away”
― Isabel Gillies

“In fact, you"-he pointed his fork at me-"look like a fairy tale.”
― Isabel Gillies

“I’m not saying that you will ever be over the breakup of your marriage. Any relationship that started with that six-second love stays with you forever, and that is as it should be. Like everything else in this life, it changes constantly—it subsides, flares, grows distant, comes close, gets smooth—but, make no mistake, it stays.”
― Isabel Gillies, A Year and Six Seconds: A Love Story

“She recalled a girl she knew in college who wore a “perfect” shade of red lipstick every day. She was widely admired for it, and people tried to copy her but came up short. “That lipstick was who she was, and as much as we all wanted to pull it off too, we couldn’t.” It’s strengthening to have a signature because it’s knowable; perhaps it conveys you are familiar with yourself.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“But in a time when children are marching in the streets and wars rage on distant shores, isn’t it wise, even necessary, perhaps, to take note of and honor things that work and connect us to others or ourselves?”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“This brings me back to the foundation of this book: coziness can’t be defined by one standard; it only aligns with what is inside of us. What we know, what we love, what we feel connected to and familiar with.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“It would stand to reason that a hobby grows out of the truth of who you are. Or perhaps your hobby was learned—you chose something unfamiliar; but you practiced whatever it is so well, it became second nature.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Whenever there is a big snowstorm coming, I make sure to get flowers.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“When you serve, it doesn’t just improve your community; it makes you part of your community. It breaks down walls. It fosters cooperation. And when that happens—when people set aside their differences to work in common effort towards a common good; when they struggle together, and sacrifice together, and learn from one another—all things are possible.” —BARACK OBAMA”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“A lot of time you need help in being cozy together. It’s like studying for an exam: you won’t do very well if you just sit in the classroom. It takes more work; you have to read the book—and underline.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“This reminds me of the famous piece of advice Mr. Rogers gave when soothing children during national crises where they might see upsetting pictures in the newspapers. “Look for the helpers,” he urged.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“A friend of mine gets a postcard from every museum she visits, and instead of saving it to someday give away, on the back of the postcard she writes the name of who she was with and the date, and then sticks it up on her wall.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“In Morocco, boiling-hot water infused with sweetened, heady mint is poured from way up high into small glasses. The height is needed to create a foam on the top of the dairy-less tea.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“That waiting room modeled some behavior for me, and reinforced the idea that you have a hand in your experiences. Sometimes we think we don’t, that we will just careen through the (endless) less-than-pleasant things”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“What soon became clear was that a defining characteristic of hygge was simply being present.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Coziness, whatever that is to you, is life. It’s life at its greatest. It’s not always so easy, right? It can be really dark, and sad—but there are these moments.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Wren, dear heart, if a man doesn’t love you, there is nothing you can do to change that. You should just let him swim away.”
― Isabel Gillies, Starry Night

“The takeaway here is that tuning in—connecting to what’s going on around you—is how you get cozy.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“in life—even in really hard times, like a divorce [he said that—I swear] or death, there is always some kind of ‘porcupine’ walking by minding its business—and taking him in will make you feel better. Even in the most wild and unforgiving environments, the world gives you a porcupine, and that’s cozy.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“A boy that I love doesn’t love me,” I said. “Well zen, zis boy, he is not your destiny. He is just a boy.”
― Isabel Gillies, Starry Night

“and if we take some control, we can have a better time of it. Can you build serenity before you even leave the house?”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“We may not recognize the iconography in an artifact from ancient Iraq, or in a medieval tapestry, or a Cézanne, but we can feel humanity in it.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“I get that investigation can be scary—ignorance is bliss, but is it really? If we’re saying that looking inward is your access to cozy, then no matter what you find it will ultimately help you, free you to welcome and cherish all parts of yourself. Go to the records!”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“I don’t think it’s only physical things or fortunate circumstances. I think cozy is a deeper beat, derived from a parent, a friend, a teacher, or your own good instincts.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Does love make you a cozier person? In my case, the answer is yes.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“this is the book i thought to write because being cozy makes me feel capable of getting through to the next moment, to help another, to accomplish something important - even to love/ we are told our whole lives long to take care of ourselves. that’s even how we bid each other goodbye: “take care now!” but do we always do that? we overwork, deprive ourselves of sleep, eat poorly, beat ourselves up, get into fights, drink too much, and generally run ragged”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Imperfection is cozy. The experience of a room or a dinner party is what you are going for—it’s not about creating perfection, that’s not the point. People are the point. It’s about trying to make people feel good, that’s what’s cozy.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

“Flowers are reminders of the great outdoors, of movies and romance. They cheer you up—they are pleasures. They make me feel like I have my act together, that I won’t fall off the edge. Flowers aren’t only for you, but also for others—they bring happiness so easily.”
― Isabel Gillies, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World