How we cite our quotes: Chapter, Paragraph
Quote #7
With her sunglasses on and her hair spilling around her shoulders, Sydney looks content with whatever life tosses her way. It's the exact opposite of how I feel. (47.48)
Sydney has got the cool girl persona down, and in Josh's eyes, she has the identity of having everything figured out and being totally comfortable. This may not be true, but it is totally the way her peers identify her.
Quote #8
I've always protected myself when it comes to love. And maybe that's the problem. In the future, maybe I never let my husbands see the real me either, so I never give them the chance to learn what makes me happy. Either that or I marry a conceited jerk like Cody, and then there's definitely not going to be much love. (56.50)
Emma hides her identity a lot, and in this moment, she realizes that doing so pushes people away. In her fear of letting people actually get to know her, she's accidentally setting herself up for unhappiness. And being unhappy is an identity she'd really like to avoid cultivating.
Quote #9
"You're a go-with-the-flow-guy," he says. "You've always been that way. And that can feel great because it means you don't have to make any hard decisions. But sometimes you need to figure out what you want, Josh. If that means you need to swim against the tide to get it, at least you're aiming for something that could make you very happy." (55.53)
David's brother points out that Josh is super passive—he doesn't fight for an identity, but instead just works with whatever comes his way. This is often a good thing, but occasionally there are times where he needs to fight for himself, and sometimes this involves "swimming against the tide."