Top 13 Quotes & Sayings by John Elder Robison

When Martha first met me, I was anxious and jumpy. I was always tapping my foot, rocking, or exhibiting some other behavioral aberration. Of course, now we know that's just normal Aspergian behavior, but back then other people thought it was weird, so of course I did, too. One day, for some reason, she decided to try petting my arm, and I immediately stopped rocking and fidgeting. The result was so dramatic, she never stopped. It didn't take long for me to realize the calming effect, too. I like being petted and scratched. "Can you pet me?" I say when I sit next to her.

I don't really understsand why it's considered normal to stare at someone's eyeballs

Saying you "have" something implies that it's temporary and undesirable. Asperger's isn't like that. You've been Aspergian as long as you can remember, and you'll be that way all your life. It's a way of being, not a disease.

Building up a weakness just makes you less disabled. Building a strength can take you to the top of the world.

Unlike some older brothers, I never set him on fire, or cut off an arm or leg, or drowned him in the tub.

Simply making myself aware of others has remarkably improved my social life. People accept me much faster now that I ignore them less.

This is a f***ing mess," I said tactfully.

And now I know it is perfectly natural for me not to look at someone when I talk. Those of us with Asperger's are just not comfortable doing it. In fact, I don'treally understand why it's considered normal to stare at someone's eyeballs.

It does not matter what sixty-six percent of people do in any particular situation. All that matters is what you do.

I am sure antidepressants, drugs, and liquor have their place. But so far, that place is in others, not me.

There are plenty of people in the world whose lives are governed by rote and routine. Such people will never be happy dealing with me, because I don't conform.

And my experience in the music scene had shown me that there were places for places in the world where misfits were welcome.

In the past, when people criticized me for asking unexpected questions, I felt ashamed. Now I realize that normal people are acting in a superficial and often false manner. So rather than let them make me feel bad, I express my annoyance. It's my way of trying to strike a blow for logic and rationality.