Flowers for Algernon

"Every rise must have a corresponding fall—that's the nature of the universe."

"The heart understands what the mind cannot explain."

"I realize now that being smart doesn't make you better—it only makes you different."

"The only real freedom is the freedom to be ourselves, flaws and all."

"I'm aware now that I can never go back to what I was. The past is a closed door."

"What is intelligence if it cannot buy you happiness?"

"The faster we rise, the faster we must fall."

"I used to think I was stupid because I couldn't do what others could. Now I know others are limited because they won't try."

"Love is when another person's happiness is more important than your own."

"I am three people—Charlie the child, Charlie the man, and Charlie the mind."

"The reason people laugh at me isn't because I'm stupid—it's because they're afraid."

"Pity is a wonderful emotion, but it makes you feel lonely."

"I am learning to see things as they really are, not as I wish them to be."

"Once you have tasted the fruit of knowledge, you cannot go back to living like you did before."

"I don't know what's worse—to live among people who don't understand you, or to live in your mind and never be part of the world."

"Watching them made me realize that people are not always what they seem to be."

"If I ever do marry a woman she'll demand that I sign a letter that says I'm obligated to kill myself if she deceives me."

"The more intelligent you become the more problems you'll have."

"I'm not sure what's worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you've always wanted to be and find out that you're not the man you thought you would be."

"The mouse knew its limitation. I had to learn mine."

"I am both the scientist and the experiment."

"Being smart made me understand how fragile everything is."

"I've touched genius, and it burned me."

"My mind raced toward answers, but my heart stayed behind."

"The greatest intelligence is knowing when to ask for help."

"I learned that being human means accepting limitations."

"Algernon's decline was my prophecy."

"The smartest thing I ever did was learn to forgive myself."

"Understanding love means understanding pain."

"I want to go back, but the door only opens one way."