Because it's kind of great, being an idea that everybody likes. But I could never be the idea to myself, not all the way. And Agloe is a place where a paper creation became real. A dot on the map became a real place, more real than the people who created the dot could never have imagined. I thought maybe the paper cutout of a girl could start becoming real here also. And it seemed like a way to tell that paper girl who cared about popularity and clothes and everything else: 'You are going to the paper towns. And you are never coming back.

Summary

This quote speaks to the idea of creating a version of oneself that is ideal and likeable to others. The speaker reveals that they have always strived to be the "idea" that everyone approves of, but acknowledges that they have never truly been able to fully embody this idea for themselves. The reference to Agloe, a fictional place that became real, symbolizes the potential for the speaker's own transformation. They hope that, just as Agloe became real, they can shed their superficial concerns and become a more genuine and authentic version of themselves by leaving behind the "paper towns" of superficiality.

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