Jason Reynolds Quotes
-
Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage.
-
The truths are universal: Every kid knows fear. Every kid knows family and friendship. Loss, love, laughter. Everything else is just detail.
-
Be not afraid of discomfort. If you can't put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow. You will never change. You'll never learn.
-
We all want to believe in the magic of someone knowing what we're thinking.
-
The truth of the matter is that chess is not the game of life because life does not ever happen the way you strategize and plan.
-
I have a chip on my shoulder I pet every morning, a constant feeling like I have something to prove. Hearing that the canon can't be diversified, there's no room for more brown faces - that fueled my fire.
-
I know the feeling of confusion and betrayal. I know the feeling of fearing for my life.
-
I've been told what I can't do my whole life.
-
I write every single day.
-
If a kid is reading a book about someone who looks like them but doesn't talk like them, we stunt their growth by dissing them.
-
I wanted to be Langston Hughes.
-
Boston is pretty infamous for race relations.
-
I love, loved, loved 'We Real Cool' by Gwendolyn Brooks.
-
Gratitude is one of the greatest gifts we can give. And it's not a gift we often give to children. We expect it of them, but we don't necessarily give it back.
-
I try to create characters people want to sit with, even if nothing is happening.
-
Grief is like mending a knee. You can mend the knee and make it function, but the knee never actually heals.
-
When I was a kid, I couldn't see life outside ramen noodles and Kool-Aid.
-
I read tons of books, listen to music non-stop, watch as many movies as possible, catch a play when I can, art shows, concerts, bar talks - I just try to engage in art, which to me is everywhere, as often as I can because narrative lives in it all.
-
It wasn't that the teachers were bad. From what I can remember, they were pretty good. It was about the selection of books. It was about not seeing my young life reflected back to me: my family dynamics, the noise and complexities of my neighborhood, the things I loved, like ice cream trucks and Kool-Aid.
-
Hip-hop saved me. It gave me permission to use language in a certain way. It validated my community and my friends. It gave our slang a certain elegance.
-
I just want young people to read my books and feel cared for, feel safe, feel like there's someone else in the world who understands - or at least acknowledges - your existence.
-
I am a consummate metaphor addict.
-
I try to be an active griever. I feel like we lean on time because of the trope 'Time heals all wounds.' And there is truth to that, but I don't think that it's absolute. I think that to grieve and to deal and cope, you have to be actively processing the information. Have your moments, be broken, and allow yourself to fully express pain.
-
Rappers were my storytellers.