Saying Common Things in an Uncommon Way

As I've been working on revising my WIP, I've been thinking about how writers have to say cliche things, but it doesn't have to be in a cliche way. Confused yet?

Okay, a simple example is having a character who has something they want to say, but can't. Or wants to say, but isn't given the chance. Or - on a more positive note - a character is finally able to say something he couldn't before. These circumstances arise a lot, because they are daily occurrences in real life. But just because a character is stripped of all his fear and can finally say what's on his mind doesn't mean you have to write, "Suddenly, I was able to speak."

That's cliche. However, just in the books I was reading the last couple of weeks I came across these instances when a writer said something very simple in a unique, beautiful way.

"And I'm left staring out the window, watching District 12 disappear, with all my good-byes still hanging on my lips." - Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Ah that just makes my heart hurt! That last clause is so much more powerful than, "and I didn't get to say good-bye." The same point is made, but much better execution.

"The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up." Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

I'm not just being told that the narrator can finally speak, I'm seeing the process with my own eyes. And still, the last sentence is simple and to the point.

So do you share my opinion on these quotes? Do you ever find yourself struggling with this?

By the way, I recommend both of those books!