How we cite our quotes: (Page number)
Quote #1
According to scientists, there are three stages of love: lust, attraction, and attachment. And, it turns out, each of the stages is orchestrated by chemicals—neurotransmitters—in the brain. (104)
Pro tip: “My neurotransmitters are orchestrating strong chemical reactions in my brain in response to your presence” is way less romantic than “I love you.”
Quote #2
I'm about to go when something makes me take a final look around. I know it's not possible to feel a specific person's presence. More than likely my subconscious spotted him as I was walking through the lobby. People use poetic language to describe things they don't understand. Usually there's a scientific explanation if you only look for it.
Anyway, there he is.
He is here. (121)
Nicola Yoon probably didn’t do this on purpose, but it’s slightly humorous that Natasha says, “Usually there’s a scientific explanation if you only look for it”...because she only looks for that one and refuses to consider any other explanation that doesn’t involve science.
Quote #3
The more I talk to him, the cuter he gets. I even like his earnestness, despite the fact that I usually hate earnestness. The sexy ponytail may be addling my brain. It's just hair, I tell myself. Its function is to keep the head warm and protect it against ultraviolet radiation. There's nothing inherently sexy about it.
"What are we talking about again?" he asks.
I say science at the same time that he says love, and we both laugh. (83)
It’s adorable how hard Natasha’s trying to talk herself out of liking Daniel. We’d hate to see her idea of an effective hair commercial. L’Oreal: Because there’s nothing inherently sexy about you or your hair, but your luxurious tresses will keep your head safe from UV rays.
Quote #4
"Think of it as an experiment," I say. "What'd you say before about the scientific method?"
This gets me a small smile.
"Scientists shouldn't experiment on themselves," she counters.
"Not even for the greater good?" I ask. "For furthering mankind's knowledge of itself?"
This gets me a big laugh. (88)
Daniel’s strategy to get Natasha to fall in love with him could not be more perfectly tailored to the budding data scientist. She can’t turn down the opportunity to test all her cynical theories.
Quote #5
"I really don't know. I guess I'm more interested in why people feel like they have to believe in God. Why can't it just be science? Science is wondrous. The night sky? Amazing. The inside of a human cell? Incredible. Something that tells us we're born bad and that people use to justify all their petty prejudices and awfulness. I dunno. I guess I believe in science. Science is enough." (273)
Natasha has such an interesting, unique, well-defended perspective on faith and science. Author Nicola Yoon is no joke, and she’s definitely not playing with kid gloves for the sake of a YA novel.
Quote #6
I head right over to my favorite of all the meteorites—Ahnighito....The surface is metal-cold and pockmarked from thousands of tiny impacts. I close my eyes, let my fingers dip in and out of the divots. It's hard to believe that this hunk of iron is from outer space. Harder still to believe that it contains the origins of the solar system. This room is my church, and standing on this platform is my pillar. Touching this rock is the closest I ever come to believing in God. (202)
Some people experience God when they hear a particular song; Natasha feels like God might exist when she touches a giant space rock. Hey, to each their own.
Quote #7
I've never really understood the phrase they have chemistry before now After all, everything is chemistry. Everything is combination and reaction. The atoms in my body align themselves with the atoms in his. It's the way I knew he was still in the lobby earlier today. (261)
If Nicola Yoon didn’t have this line in mind when she started writing the book, she could have fooled us. It’s an absolutely perfect description of the two sides of Natasha: science and passion.
Quote #8
"If we calculate the gravitational forces of all the objects we can detect, it's not enough to keep galaxies and stars in orbit around each other. There has to be more matter that we can't see. Dark matter."...
"And it's the reason why objects don't hurtle themselves off into deep dark space? It's what keeps us bound together?"
Her skepticism turns into suspicion. "What is your addled poet brain getting at?"
"You're gonna hate me."
"Maybe," she agrees.
"Dark matter is love. It's the attracting force."
"Oh God Jesus no. Yuck. Blech. You're the worst." (274)
Maybe someday scientists will determine what all this dark matter actually is, but for now, Daniel’s explanation is as good as any. This conversation sticks with Natasha all the way into her professional life as a Jamaican physicist.
Quote #9
Because everything looks like chaos up close. Daniel thinks it's a matter of scale. If you pull back far enough and wait for long enough, then order emerges. Maybe their universe is just taking longer to form. (340)
While Natasha sees reality as the negation of fate, Daniel sees the two concepts working hand in hand.
Quote #10
"Can you use the scientific method on it? Can you observe it, measure it, experiment with it, and repeat your experiments? You cannot. Can you slice it and stain it and study it under a microscope? You cannot. Can you grow it in a petri dish or map its gene sequence?"
"You cannot," he says, mimicking my voice and laughing.
I can't help laughing too. Sometimes I take myself a little too seriously. (76)
Natasha’s explaining why she doesn’t think love really exists, but her semi-robotic cadence makes us wonder if she actually believes what she’s saying. Thankfully, Daniel calls her out.