Connor Franta

“The first time I got recognized in public was at a movie theater. It was at the 'Lord of the Rings' movie premiere. I was at the movie theater, and someone came up, and it was so weird to me, because I had never been recognized by a viewer, so I thought that was scary.”

“sometimes even the worst dreams are better than this reality”

“Some call it growing up. I call it life, and in my experience, it doesn't necessarily get easier over the years. But the eternal struggle is beautiful, and I'm happy to persevere.”

“You are who you are, and you should love that person.”

“People think that you upload a video, and it goes viral, and then you're a YouTube star, and I'm like, 'Nah, no.' In total, with all of the channels I've done, I've uploaded anywhere from 400 to 1,000 videos to the Internet, and each one of those takes a whole day to make.”

“I'm very into Taylor Swift. From her music to her wardrobe, she is absolutely killing it. Also, she has adorable cats that I would love to pet.”

“The thing about the Internet is we take everything too far. Once something becomes 'popular' in our realm, it's everywhere, and I get sick of hearing about it quickly.”

“I'm actually like a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop kind of guy. So I love the local shops that are kind of like one-off chains in Los Angeles, and I usually get a soy flat white.”

“That too ended in defeat with an injury. We have the video. It was painful to watch you struggle; even more painful for you to participate! I knew the Dan Gable dream was over when Nicola proved more into it than you were. But looking back on that time, it was evident that you had a mind of your own. If you didn't want to do something, no one could make you.”

“Never think you can't do something. I definitely never thought I could write a book, and even after I started writing it, I was like, 'Oh my God, how am I gonna write a book?' Just set your sights high and reach for the stars. Go live your dreams, and never think you can't.”

“Know this too: Some people won't like you, and you won't like everyone. That's okay. None of that matters. What matters is meeting like-minded people who get you, accept you, and will do anything for you. Even if that means pegging some poor kid in the face with a snowball and sitting against a playground wall on a cold, snowy day.”

“When taking a photo, I tend to look for one of the following: depth, symmetry, color or contrast. All of those things catch my eye to the point where I stop dead in my tracks to capture whatever it is that I've seen.”

“I don’t want anyone to hold back who they are. It’s not okay… it’s not a good thing”

“Public speaking is scary, I think. I've gotten way better at it. If I have to do a speech and be like, 'I'm a YouTuber,' then that's easy, but if I have to get up there and pretend I know something in front of adults, it's never fine. In front of adults, it's like, 'Ahhhh they're going to judge me.'”

“I think good taste is completely subjective. If you enjoy something, that's great! Enjoy it, and don't let anyone tell you not to.”

“It always surprises me how much my followers appreciate how candid my photos are - they may not have a particularly unique subject, but it's more about the light you shed on the subject than the subject itself.”

“Coffee has always been a significant part of my life. For me, it's a chance to start my day and gather my thoughts - it's fuel for my creative process.”

“For me, there are distinct levels of friendship:BEST FRIEND: An extremely close individual you can do anything with, talk about everything with, confide in, and be comfortable with sitting in silence on car journeys; those people you consider to be part of your familyGOOD FRIEND: A person you are comfortable hanging out with one-on-one for an extended period of time and see semiregularly; someone who shares experiences with you but not your deepest troubles and secretsFRIEND: Someone you hang out with in a group setting occasionallyAcquaintance: Someone you know on a first-name basis and say "hi" to but that's pretty much the extent of itSTRANGERS: The rest of the world (and all your potential best friends in the future)”

“I would rather have 1 amazing best friend than 100 decent regular friends. It's not about quantity, it's about quality.”

“I find a lot of up-and-coming musicians I enjoy, present them to my viewers - and hopefully inflate the growth of these artists by putting them in front an audience that wouldn't have been aware of them.”