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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 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 being a part of the world and being in it and trying to change it.”

Thinking Change Talking Conversation Activism Thought Small Talk

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I'm not afraid of silence. You know, I'm not afraid to sit in a room and have the conversation drop into silence. I think that's a very southern thing.”

Thinking Knows Rooms Silence Conversation Southern Not Afraid

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

“I remember my mother would get upset with me 'cause she said I walked like my dad. But I think it was more like, there's something about you that's not quite ladylike and femme. And then when I got older - once I came out, my mom and grandma were horrified and just kind of like, where did we go wrong?”

Thinking Kind Said Remember Mother Causes Mom Dad My Dad My Mom Upset Grandma Femme Ladylike

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I couldnt be a writer without hope. I think I became a writer because Im pretty optimistic.”

Thinking Optimistic Without Hope

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think it's important to remember that writing is a gift and our stories are gifts to ourselves and to the world and sometimes giving isn't always the easiest thing to do but it comes back.”

Thinking World Giving Writing Important Sometimes Stories Remember Things To Do

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I love slow readers. And readers who think about what I've written, think about how it's written - and copy me!”

Thinking Written Reader Copies

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

“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 boys don't always like to read books with female protagonist - I don't even know what to say about this.”

Thinking Knows Book Boys Female Protagonists Female Protagonists

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“Mainly, I try not to think about my readers as I write - I just think of my characters and myself - If they're interesting to me, my hope is that they'll be interesting to others as well.”

Ifs Thinking Writing Trying Wells Character Interesting Reader

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“When I'm writing flawed characters, I just think about my own flaws.”

Thinking Writing Character My Own Flaws Flawed

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“Because I write realistic fiction, I generally don't think about fixing anyone - I just think about how I want to feel at the end of the book - And I try to write toward that feeling.”

Thinking Want Feels Writing Trying Book Ends Feelings Fiction Realistic Fixing Realistic Fiction

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“I think writers are the history keepers, right? We're the ones who are bearing witness to what's going on in the world. And I feel like it's our job to put that down on paper, and put it out into the world, so that it can be remembered.”

Thinking World Feels Jobs Paper Witness Remembered Keepers Bearing Witness

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 think I had gotten messages really young that poetry wasn't for me, that it was for, basically, some dead white men. My experience and my intellect was on the outside of understanding that. I think that's what's so destructive.”

Thinking Men Young Understanding White Messages Intellect Destructive White Man

Author:Jacqueline Woodson

“When you think of how a child experiences a series of events, it feels, for so long, like she's looking at everything from behind this glass and it's obscured.”

Thinking Feels Children Long Behinds Events Series Glasses

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

“I think I'd rather have my heart broke than do the breaking. —Lena”

Thinking Heart My Heart Broke Heart Broke

Book:Lena

Source: Lena

“I think only once in your life do you find someone that you say, "Hey, this is the person I want to spend the rest of my time on this earth with." And if you miss it, or walk away from it, or even maybe, blink - it's gone.”

Ifs Thinking Want Persons Earth Walks Gone Missing Hey My Time Blink

Book:If You Come Softly

Source: If You Come Softly

About the Author

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

Related Topics

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

Popular Topics

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

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