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Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson Quotes

Writer

Jacqueline Woodson is an American writer known for her concise and poetic style. Her works cover a variety of themes, including race, identity, family, and growth. Born on February 12, 1963, Woodson's writing career began in children's literature and later expanded to adult literature.

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All Thinking People Writing Knows Feels World Ifs Kind Book Sometimes Stills Way Want Home Moving Needs Stories Trying Inspirational Language

Famous Jacqueline Woodson Quotes

“I feel like I'm a New Yorker to the bone. But there is a lot of the South in me. I know there is a lot of the South in my mannerisms. There's a lot of the South in my expectations of other people and how people treat each other. There's a lot of the South in the way I speak, but it could never be home.”

People Knows Way Feels Home Speak Expectations Treats South Bones New Yorkers Mannerisms

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think in terms of being a New Yorker, as my friends would say, I don't take a lot of mess. I have no tolerance for people who are not thinking deeply about things. I have no tolerance for the kind of small talk that people need to fill silence. And I have no tolerance for people not - just not being a part of the world and being in it and trying to change it.”

People Thinking World Needs Trying Kind Term Silence My Friends Tolerance Mess New Yorkers Trying To Change Small Talk Thinking Deeply

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“The Bible is big in the religion, treating people as you want to be treated.”

People Want Bigs Treated

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I actually don't think of whiteness and heterosexuality as 'the norm'. Maybe there are people who still do but none of them are close friends of mine.”

People Thinking Stills Mines Norm Close Friends Whiteness Heterosexuality

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think people need to remember that a book isn't done after a few rewrites and a publisher isn't going to buy an 'undone' book so the hard part is making it a book that at least ten other people want to pay for to read.”

People Thinking Want Needs Book Hard Done Remember Pay Ten Publishers Undone

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in a draft stage and that before it can leave the writer's hands and head to a publisher, it needs about five more revisions. Some people don't want to do that.”

People Want Needs Stills Book Hands Five Stage Publishers Revision

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think people are sometime reluctant to read outside of their own race. This is heartbreaking.”

People Thinking Race Reluctant Heartbreaking

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think that happens for a lot of people, they have this idea that there's only one type of way to write poetry and that you have to have this information. You have to know about meter, you have to know about form, you have to know about iambic pentameter, and all of that.”

People Thinking Knows Way Writing Ideas Happens Form Information Type Meter

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I feel like so much of what I'm doing is making a road where there is no road and inviting people on that road with me. It's scary. It's scary, but I can't listen to the voices that are saying form is the only way, or that there is only this kind of form or that kind of form.”

People Way Feels Kind I Can Form Voice Scary Inviting

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“One place exists as their interpretation of it. For the people living and thriving inside of it, it's another place.”

People Interpretation

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“Where I grew up, it was all people who were black and Latino, people who look like me. Now I live in a neighborhood where very, very few people look like me.”

People Looks Black Grew Grew Up Like Me Neighborhood Latino

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“Mama was always saying I was a brain snob, that I didn't like people who didn't think. I didn't know if that was snobby. Who wanted to walk around explaining everything to people all the time?”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Wanted Walks Brain Explaining Mama Snob Snobby

Book:After Tupac and D Foster

Source: After Tupac and D Foster

“You can't always be pushing people away. Someday nobody'll come back.”

People Someday Pushing

Book:The Dear One

Source: The Dear One

“People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do...Don't worry about other people. Worry about you.”

People Matter Worry Judging No Matter What

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“Sometimes...you have to try to forget people you love just so you can keep living.”

People Trying Sometimes Forget

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I do believe that books can change lives and give people this kind of language they wouldn't have had otherwise.”

People Giving Believe Kind Book Language Life Changing

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“There is something so deeply visceral about libraries for me-rooms and rooms full of people dreaming and remembering.”

People Dream Remember Reading Rooms Library African American Novelists Reading Books Visceral

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

About the Author

Born: February 12, 1963
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 105

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Thinking People Writing Knows Feels World Ifs Kind Book Sometimes Stills Way Want Home Moving Needs Stories Trying Inspirational Language

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

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