The idea of voluntary segregation went against every value I had been taught. What did being born black have to do with excellence? Walter Dean Myers More Quotes by Walter Dean Myers More Quotes From Walter Dean Myers Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books? Walter Dean Myers common-humanitybookchildren When I began to read, I began to exist Walter Dean Myers Cutting people out of your life is easy, keeping them in is hard. Walter Dean Myers cuttingfriendshippeople the beast is the monster that destroys your dream Walter Dean Myers beastdreammonsters Everything in life is made up...You make up that you are happy. You make up that you are sad. You make up that you are in love. If you don't make up your own life, who's going to make it up for you? It's bad enough when you die and everybody can make up their own stories about you. —Mr. Hooft Walter Dean Myers enoughlife-isstories We need to tell young people that America was built by men and women of all colors and that the future of this country is dependent on the participation of all of our citizens. Walter Dean Myers mencountryamerica We all know we should eat right and we should exercise, but reading is treated as if it's this wonderful adjunct. Walter Dean Myers readingexercisewonderful Reading is not optional. Walter Dean Myers optionalreading Think about all the tomorrows of your life. Walter Dean Myers tomorrowthinking It is this language of values which I hope to bring to my books. . . . I want to bring values to those who have not been valued, and I want to etch those values in terms of the ideal. Young people need ideals which identify them, and their lives, as central . . . guideposts which tell them what they can be, should be, and indeed are. Walter Dean Myers bookpeopleneeds I had seen the ballet of Swan Lake as a child but it was as an adult, when I saw a production featuring Erik Bruhn, that I first noticed how significant a part the ever-present threat of violence played. This juxtaposition of great beauty and grace with a backdrop of pure evil stayed with me for years. Walter Dean Myers swanslakeschildren We need to tell kids flat out: reading is not optional. Walter Dean Myers readingkidsneeds But in the end, we learn we can forgive most people. The cushion of mortality makes their wrongdoing seem less dark, and whatever roads they traveled seem less foolhardy. Walter Dean Myers forgivingdarkpeople I'll never live to write all the stories I have in my head. Walter Dean Myers storieswriting It's a hard life sometimes and the biggest temptation is to let how hard it is be an excuse to weaken Walter Dean Myers hard-lifetemptationsometimes With my writing, what I want to do is humanize the young people I write about. Walter Dean Myers wantwritingpeople I want young people to be hesitant to glorify war and to demand of their leaders justification for the sacrifices they ask of our citizens. Walter Dean Myers sacrificewarpeople Each time I think there is no place lower to go, I find that there is at least one place that will mess you up worse than you were. Walter Dean Myers messthinking I think it's difficult for young people to acknowledge being smart, to knowledge being a reader. I see kids who are embarrassed to read books. They're embarrassed to have people see them doing it. Walter Dean Myers smartkidsbook Each of us is born with a history already in place Walter Dean Myers born
