And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.

Charlie, in Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)

Genuine

Yes. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), A letter of October 1991 (the party at Bob’s and the drive through the tunnel; date line not read), the last line, p. 42, said by Charlie. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Chbosky’s own voice.

Checked against Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (London: Simon & Schuster, 2012). First published New York: Pocket Books (MTV Books), February 1999, p. 42 (Simon & Schuster, London, 2012; placed from the folio in the OCR text, page image not seen), in the text of a page scan, not the image.

Work
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 1999
Where
A letter of October 1991 (the party at Bob’s and the drive through the tunnel; date line not read), the last line, p. 42
Source
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (London: Simon & Schuster, 2012). First published New York: Pocket Books (MTV Books), February 1999, p. 42 (Simon & Schuster, London, 2012; placed from the folio in the OCR text, page image not seen)
Checked
In the text of a page scan, not the image

Researched by AI. Entry updated 25 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check

About this quote

Where it comes from

First published in the novel (Pocket Books / MTV Books, February 1999); the 2012 London edition has the line word for word. Searched: the Internet Archive’s full text for ‘I swear we were infinite’: the novel, and later pages (a college newspaper and a school yearbook) that quote it.

The scene

After Charlie’s first party, at Bob’s house, Sam keeps her promise and drives him and Patrick to the tunnel. As they go through the tunnel Sam stands up and the wind turns her dress into ocean waves, and when they come out she screams. Then she sits down laughing, and Patrick and Charlie laugh with her. The line ends Charlie’s letter.

What it means

For a moment Charlie is wholly in the present, with two friends, and it feels as if nothing could end. ‘Infinite’ is the feeling of belonging, not a claim about time.

Often misread

Quoted on its own as a general line about youth and friendship, or about the ‘perfect moment’. In the book it is Charlie’s description of one night, and the novel goes on to show how fragile the feeling is. It is a character’s line in a letter, not Chbosky’s maxim.

Also shared as

  • The form on posters and social mediaAnd in that moment, I swear we were infinite. The form on posters, captions and tattoo designs; the same words, with no speaker or scene. Where it was seen

Topics

Happiness, Friendship, Emotions, Time

Related quotes

Sources

Cite it

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), A letter of October 1991 (the party at Bob’s and the drive through the tunnel; date line not read), the last line, p. 42. Spoken by Charlie. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/in-that-moment-i-swear-we-were-infinite/ (25 October 2026).

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People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.

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