Walter Dean Myers quotes - page 2

I write in a small office at home. (Walter Dean Myers)
I was teased if I brought my books home. I would take a paper bag to the library and put the books in the bag and bring them home. Not that I was that concerned about them teasing me - because I would hit them in a heartbeat. But I felt a little ashamed, having books. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
We all know we should eat right and we should exercise, but reading is treated as if it's this wonderful adjunct. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I talk to myself out loud at times, and feel embarrassed when people overhear me. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I like people who take responsibility for their lives. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
Within the black community, roughly 60 percent of children are born to single moms. Moms don't have the emotional wherewithal to deal with their children. Their English is atrocious. Their speaking is atrocious. The dropout rate is horrendous. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
My dad was a janitor for U.S. Radium Corporation, and he stayed there for 37 years. So he didn't read. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
As a child I wanted to be a professional athlete or lawyer. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
There is a crisis involving reading in certain communities. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
We need to tell kids flat out: reading is not optional. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I read a lot of comic books and any kind of thing I could find. One day, a teacher found me. She grabbed my comic book and tore it up. I was really upset, but then she brought in a pile of books from her own library. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. (Walter Dean Myers)
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. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
Children have adopted a consumerist attitude - I dare you to entertain me. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
When we think of war, the tendency is to picture young soldiers only in their military roles. To a large extent this dehumanizes the soldiers and makes it easier for society to commit them to combat. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
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. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I'll never live to write all the stories I have in my head. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
To fight for one's country, to offer one's very life to promote the well being of the United States, is truly a noble undertaking. But so is the vigilance of the citizen who carefully examines our leaders to see if political problems are being solved by wars simply because this seems to be the easiest solution. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
And I see the - you know, when I go to the juvenile detention centers and prisons, I see people who can't read now. And I know that when they leave those prisons and those detention centers, they're not going to be able to make it in our society. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
Fifty percent of all meaningful education takes place in the home. What do you share with your child? You share your interests. I was a book person. I read with my son. My wife is an artist. She dragged his little butt around to museums. He's an illustrator of children's books. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
If what I read doesn't reflect my life - whether I'm gay or Latino or on welfare - doesn't that really mean that my life is not valuable? View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I am very much interested in getting parents to read to children, and trying to get people mentoring children. If I can do both I'll be happy. (Walter Dean Myers)
America believes what's good for us is good for the world. It's very difficult to understand that that's not necessarily true. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
I wrote for magazines. I wrote adventure stuff, I wrote for the 'National Enquirer,' I wrote advertising copy for cemeteries. View quote
Walter Dean Myers
As a kid I didn't see black cowboys on the screen. What that said to me was that there were things I couldn't do or be because of my color. What we see others like us do gives us permission to expand our own horizons. View quote
Walter Dean Myers