Small Lessons Learned

Don't trust the Internet.

It's all right to have different interests, and not obsess over only one thing.

There's always a better violinist.

Bring a fork to school when you need one for lunch.

No matter how much you think your opinion matters, you shouldn't force it on someone else.

I don't have to be a novelist. There are other types of writing.

Tipping at a restaurant is 20%, not 10%.

I can speak better with adults than with other kids sometimes.

Sometimes the truth is so much better than your imagination.

Don't let your little brother set a cotton ball on fire.

Listen to Dumbledore and Gandalf. Old guys with white beards and big sticks are usually right.

Whether or not I realize it, criticism is one of the best things for you.

I don't want to have my life be all about clothes and gossip, like I see my friends in high school always talking about.

If you want to perfect something, you actually have to practice. It won't just happen by will.