How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
There's a saying I heard once: Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Then everything happens. (1.17)
Shmoop happens to know this isn't a saying; it's a quote (well, verbatim, anyway). It's from novelist Fay Weldon's memoir, Auto da Fay.
Quote #2
Among the unwanted side effects of the Big Everything that happened was that I found myself transformed. My life, as I'd known it, was over. (1.19)
The Big Everything, of course, is September 11, which changed the lives of all Americans. That's why Bart calls it the Big Everything—nothing remained untouched.
Quote #3
None of my friends, or the kids I knew from before, treated me like the same person, and the new teachers hadn't known me long enough to know what kind of person I was. (2.35)
Bart doesn't want his friends to treat him differently after his father's death. Too much has changed too fast, and he wishes his friendships would remain familiar.