How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
the only worthwhile thing i do all period—all morning, really—is write isaac, isaac, isaac in my notebook and then draw spider-man spelling it out in a web. which is completely lame, but whatever. it's not like i'm doing it to be cool. (2.27)
will says he doesn't care what people think—after all, he's not doodling to be cool, it's just who he is—but he is worried about what his friends and family would think if they really knew him… and who he likes.
Quote #2
i have a friend request from some stranger on facebook and i delete it without looking at the profile because that doesn't seem natural. 'cause friendship should not be as easy as that. it's like people believe all you need to do is like the same bands in order to be soulmates. or books. omg . . . U like the outsiders 2 . . . it's like we're the same person! no we're not. it's like we have the same english teacher. there's a difference. (2.48)
will is definitely cynical, but he isn't totally off about the randomness of social media. How can someone really be friends with you if they don't actually know you? Of course, will should see the writing on the wall with this one. Isaac is nothing more than a fake friend, too.
Quote #3
"Tiny!" I shout, but he doesn't turn around; he just keeps skipping. I don't start to skip after his crazy ass or anything, but I do kinda smile. He may be a malevolent sorcerer, but Tiny Cooper is his own goddamned man, and if he wants to be a gigantic skipper, then that's his right as a huge American. (3.82)
You can say a lot of things about Tiny Cooper, but you cannot say that he's not happy to be who he is. Tiny likes himself and no one is going to convince him otherwise.
Quote #4
"Yeah, so, Paulie. Will lost his ID," explains Jane.
Paulie smiles at me. "That's a shame, kid." He hands me a blank sheet of computer paper and says, "I need your full name, your address, date of birth, social, height, weight, and eye color. And a hundred bucks."
"I, uh—" I say, because I don't happen to carry hundred dollar bills around with me. But before I can even form the words, Jane puts five twenties on the counter.
Jane and I sit down on the folding chairs, and together we invent my new identity: My name is Ishmael J. Biafra, my address is 1060 W. Addison Street, the location of Wrigley Field. I've got brown hair, blue eyes. I'm five ten, weigh 160 pounds, my social security number is nine randomly selected numbers, and I turned twenty-two last month. I hand the paper to Paulie, and then he points to a strip of duct tape and tells me to stand there. He holds a digital camera up to his eye and says, "Smile!" I didn't smile for my real driver's license picture, and I'm sure as hell not going to smile for this one. (3.103-106)
Will makes up an identity for his fake ID, but isn't that what he's been doing all along? He kind of likes Jane, but just won't say it. This kid hides how he really feels all the time.
Quote #5
the sick thing is, i'm sure that someday this is going to come back to haunt me. that someday she's going to say i led her on, when the truth is i was only holding her off. i have to set her up with somebody else. soon. it's not me she wants—she just wants anybody who will make it all about her. and i can't be that guy. (4.45)
Because Maura's a girl, things are never going to work out between her and will. It's just not how will rolls. But as her alternate identity, Isaac, she might have a chance. Well, if Maura wasn't such a giant liar…
Quote #6
Which it is just starting to do when my fellow underage Frenchy's pilgrim runs up to me and says, "Who are you?"
I stand up then and say, "Um, I'm Will Grayson."
"W-I-L-L G-R-A-Y-S-O-N?" he says, spelling impossibly fast.
"Uh, yeah," I say. "Why do you ask?"
The kid looks at me for a second, his head turned like he thinks I might be putting him on, and then finally he says, "Because I am also Will Grayson."
"No s***?" I ask.
"Shit," the guy says. I can't decide if he's paranoid or schizophrenic or both, but then he pulls a duct-taped wallet out of his back pocket and shows me an Illinois driver's license. Our middle names are different, at least, but—yeah. (7.19-25)
Okay, this is weird. Two Will Graysons in the same spot? What are the odds? Seriously, how freaked out would you be if you met someone with the same name as you?
Quote #7
maura: yeah, the album's called "isaac's not coming, you f***ing liar."
this is not good.
me: that's a pretty stupid name for an album.
what? what what what?
maura: give up, will.
me: my password.
maura: what?
me: you totally hacked my password. you've been reading my emails, haven't you?
maura: what are you talking about?
me: isaac. how do you know about me meeting up with isaac?she must have looked over my shoulder when i checked my email at school. she must have seen the keys i typed. she stole my dumbass password.
maura: i am isaac, will.
me: don't be stupid. he's a guy.
maura: no he's not. he's a profile. i made him up. (8.18-24)
And now it all comes out: Maura set up a fake identity, and Isaac was her all along. will is understandably furious, but he also has to wrestle with the fact that he genuinely liked Maura when she was pretending to be Isaac. Weird, we know.
Quote #8
tiny: hey—i don't even know your name.
me: will grayson.with that, tiny jumps off the bench, nearly knocking me to the grass.
tiny: no!
me: um . . . yes?
tiny: well, doesn't that just take the cake?with that, he starts laughing, and calling out
tiny: i kissed will grayson! i kissed will grayson!
when he sees that this freaks me out more than sharks do, he sits back down and says
tiny: i'm glad it was you.
i think about the other will grayson. i wonder how he's doing with jane. (10.73-80)
Of course this is hilarious because people have been teasing Will Grayson and Tiny Cooper for years about being in love. Now Tiny has finally hooked up with a will grayson. And he'll end up with another one at the end of the story. Seriously—Tiny is meant to love a Will Grayson.
Quote #9
"What's it like to be Will Grayson? I need to know what it's like from the inside." He's laughing, but then he also seems to be waiting for an answer. I always thought that being Will Grayson meant being me, but apparently not. The other Will Grayson is also Will Grayson, and now Gary will be, too. (11.95)
So. Many. Will. Graysons. What's in a name? Not as much as you might initially think.
Quote #10
now this twentysomething-year-old man in a hipster vest stands up. he looks to me for a second, smiles, then turns to tiny and says
man: my name is also will grayson. i live in wilmette. and i also appreciate you, tiny cooper. cue the seventy-nine-year-old in the back row.
old guy: my name is william t. grayson, but you can call me will. and i sure as heck appreciate you, tiny cooper.
thank you, google. thank you, internet telephone directories. thank you, keepers of the name. (20.103-106)
Aw… All the Will Graysons come together to appreciate Tiny and tell him how much they care about him. It's actually a pretty brilliant idea. A whole bunch of people sharing the same name and sharing the same feelings about one awesome guy. Kumbaya.