How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
Nobody ever knows who's responsible for something unless they see it with their own eyes. Or even if they do see it. Nobody knows anything. That's what I think. (45)
Like the man who argues that there is no such thing as truth and insists he is right, Will likes to argue with himself and prove to himself he's right about being wrong.
Quote #2
Is it faith if you've earned it? Isn't faith putting trust in something for no good reason? (51)
Faith is the primary focus of the first section of Freewill. What does it mean to have faith in other people? Is it a risky thing to do?
Quote #3
Why should we believe you? You don't appear to believe yourself. Do you believe yourself? (348)
Will seems to recognize that his thoughts about himself are warped by his grief and depression, so he questions why he bothers to believe anything he thinks.
Quote #4
That is your move isn't it Will? From when you were a kid. Still expecting that it is you who disappears when you shut your eyes. That the world spins around you. (388)
Will shows that he is aware of the self-centered thoughts that plague him. These kind of thoughts are based on the logic of a nine-year-old, and don't serve him anymore, but that doesn't mean he's stopped thinking them.
Quote #5
Whether it was a suicide or not. I mean can they ever know for sure? I don't think they can. You cannot ever know what is in there, even if you are right there with somebody. (391)
One of the wiser things Will knows is that there is a limit to how much we can know another person. We act like we can be super conclusive about things—and at times, we certainly can—but we can never actually get inside someone else's head. So in the case of his parents' death, ultimately, it's all a mystery.
Quote #6
[…] and the poor lovely girl whom you knew. Did you know her? (405)
A young woman Will goes to school with is dead, and Will thinks about whether it's ever possible to get to know who someone really is. He knew her… but did he really?
Quote #7
If you are not inside somebody's head, or they are not inside yours, how can you ever know one hundred percent anything about them? (457)
Hey, Will—you can't.
Quote #8
You do not know that. That is not knowable. (697)
Will is so concerned with what is and is not knowable, but the reality is that there is way more we don't know than we ever do. So maybe he should get on with making peace with this.