I'm just trying to keep things rich for me creatively and for the readers who follow me. Colson Whitehead More Quotes by Colson Whitehead More Quotes From Colson Whitehead A lot of people, when they first hear about the Underground Railroad, think it really is a subway or a locomotive. When they find out it's not, they feel a little disappointed. So I thought, What if it was a literal underground train network traveling from state to state, with each state it goes through representing a different opportunity or danger? Colson Whitehead opportunitypeoplethinking When it comes to how the slaves treat each other: If you've been brutalized all your life - if you have seen your children sold or your mother beaten and raped and you have been tortured yourself - you are not going to be up for your best behaviour. Even in the 21st century, 100 people in the midst of terrible suffering are not going to be their best people. Colson Whitehead motherchildrenpeople The thing I love about New York is getting lost but not worrying, just wandering and wandering, knowing that there's always a subway only ten blocks away in any direction. There's always a new neighborhood to discover, a new place to lose your bearings in, and yet however alien it seems you can escape. You can always get a cab. All of life's problems can be solved by hailing a cab. Colson Whitehead blockaliensworry I'm someone who just likes being in my cave and thinking up weird stuff. Colson Whitehead weirdsomeonebeingthinking I've always had a love of cards, ever since I was a little kid. I think poker, as a system, describes the chaos of the world. Our sudden reversals, our freak streaks of fortune. The belief that the next hand can save you, and the inevitable failure of the next hand to save you. I think that describes my world view pretty well. Colson Whitehead youfailureloveworld The contemporary casino is more than a gambling destination: it is a multifarious pleasure enclosure intended to satisfy every member of the family unit. Colson Whitehead gamblingpleasuredestinationfamily Part of being in New York is being able to brag about what used to be there. Colson Whitehead aboutnewbeingnew-york People don't like it when you compare the miracle of childbirth to writing a book, but I think there is some overlap in the two because they are both pure agony. Colson Whitehead thinkyoubookpeople I have a good poker face because I am half-dead inside. Colson Whitehead insidefacei-amgood In the apocalypse, I think those average, mediocre folks are the ones who are going to live. Colson Whitehead i-thinkgoinglivethink Write what you know. Colson Whitehead writeknowyou You can raze the old buildings and erect magnificent corporate towers, hose down Port Authority, but you can't change people. Colson Whitehead downyouchangepeople I don't generally follow sports. At an early age, I discovered that nature had apportioned me only a small reserve of enthusiasm. Best to ration. Colson Whitehead bestmenaturesports The terror of figuring out a new genre, of telling a new story, is what makes the job exciting, keeps me from getting bored, and I assume it keeps whoever follows my work from getting bored as well. Colson Whitehead newjobmework I was allowed to write about race using an elevator metaphor because of Toni Morrison and David Bradley and Ralph Ellison. Hopefully, me being weird allows someone who's 16 and wanting to write inspires them to have their own weird take on the world, and they can see the different kinds of African American voices being published. Colson Whitehead weirdsomeonemeworld For me, choosing between fiction and nonfiction is really only about picking the right tool for the job. Colson Whitehead rightonlyjobme Zombies are a great rhetorical prop to talk about people and paranoia, and they are a good vehicle for my misanthropy. Colson Whitehead talkgreatgoodpeople If you're writing a detective novel or horror or sci-fi, you want to expand or reinvigorate the genre in your own little way. Colson Whitehead youryouwritingway I was inspired to become a writer by horror movies and science fiction. Colson Whitehead moviesbecomehorrorscience 'Sag Harbor' was a very different book for me. It changed the way I thought about books that I wanted to do. Colson Whitehead thoughtmebookway
