30 Walter Dean Myers Quotes for You to Enjoy

Walter Dean Myers

American Writer

Born: Aug 12, 1937

Died: Jul 1, 2014

Black Life Me People Reading Young

Related authors: Dale Carnegie Denis Waitley Dr. Seuss H. L. Mencken Napoleon Hill Ray Bradbury W. E. B. Du Bois William Arthur Ward

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. Walter Dean Myers

Education Home You Son Book Wife Books Percent Share He Takes She Read Around His Child Person Artist Children Place Little Meaningful Fifty Interests Your Your Child Butt Illustrator Dragged Museums

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. Walter Dean Myers

Life Fight Political Problems Citizen Country Carefully Our States Easiest Solution Promote Solved See Seems Simply Leaders Noble Well Well-Being Because Undertaking Truly Very Offer Being Vigilance Who Wars United United States

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

Future Women People Men Men And Women Country Young Our Tell Citizens Colors Participation Built America Dependent Young People Need

I joined the army on my seventeenth birthday, full of the romance of war after having read a lot of World War I British poetry and having seen a lot of post-World War II films. I thought the romantic presentations of war influenced my joining and my presentation of war to my younger siblings. Walter Dean Myers

War Birthday Army World Thought Seen Films Having Poetry Joined Joining Read Lot Romance Influenced Romantic After Younger Full Presentation World War British World War I World War II Sibling

I began going to juvenile prisons. And some of these kids face some very, very tough lives. How do they handle these lives? Do they even know that if their life is bad, that they're still OK? Do they know that? Do they know that someone is thinking the same way that they're thinking? Walter Dean Myers

I like people who take responsibility for their lives. Walter Dean Myers

People Responsibility Take Like Who Lives

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. Walter Dean Myers

You People Society Our Those See Able Detention Know Make Read Leave Prisons Go Going Centers Juvenile Who Now

I talk to myself out loud at times, and feel embarrassed when people overhear me. Walter Dean Myers

Myself Me People Embarrassed Out Feel Talk Overhear Loud Times

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

Great Me Grace Evil Pure Seen First Beauty Saw Backdrop Significant Threat Stayed Adult Had Part How Ballet Years Child Lake Swan Juxtaposition Noticed Production Played Violence

I was raised in Harlem. I never found a book that took place in Harlem. I never had a church like mine in a book. I never had people like the people I knew. People who could not find their lives in books and celebrated felt bad about themselves. I needed to write to include the lives of these young people. Walter Dean Myers

Book People Church Young Took Books Mine Bad Find About Could Write Never Had Knew Like Felt Celebrated Place Young People Themselves Who Include Found Lives Raised Harlem Needed

What I found fascinating was just how quickly the best of the young Negro League players were drafted into the major leagues once Branch Rickey broke the color line by hiring Jackie Robinson. It was clear that all of the major league owners already knew the talents of the black ballplayers that they had refused to let into their league. Walter Dean Myers

Best Black Young Once Broke Color Had Clear Knew League Major Leagues Talents Major League Major Leagues Robinson How Line Were Hiring Branch Quickly Jackie Jackie Robinson Owners Just Refused Fascinating Found Players Drafted

I wrote for magazines. I wrote adventure stuff, I wrote for the 'National Enquirer,' I wrote advertising copy for cemeteries. Walter Dean Myers

National Magazines Adventure Stuff Wrote Advertising Cemeteries Copy

As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart - often for years - until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament. Walter Dean Myers

As a child I wanted to be a professional athlete or lawyer. Walter Dean Myers

Lawyer Athlete Child Wanted Professional Professional Athlete

New York is my favorite city. Walter Dean Myers

Favorite City New York New York

I write in a small office at home. Walter Dean Myers

Home Small Write Office

There is a crisis involving reading in certain communities. Walter Dean Myers

Reading Crisis Involving Certain Communities

I couldn't speak well. I went to speech therapy for 10 years. And I was sort of frustrated in that sense. Walter Dean Myers

Speak Sense Well Sort Years Frustrated Therapy Speech

I came to Harlem from West Virginia when I was three, after my mother died. My father, who was very poor, gave me up to two wonderful people, my foster parents. Walter Dean Myers

As a young man, I saw families prosper without reading because there were always sufficient opportunities for willing workers who could follow simple instructions. This is no longer the case. Children who don't read are, in the main, destined for lesser lives. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to change this. Walter Dean Myers

Man Change Simple Opportunities Responsibility Reading Young Sense Saw Destined Willing Follow Case Could Main Feel Longer Prosper Instructions Read Because Without Always Were Families Children Young Man Workers Who Lesser Deep Lives Sufficient

There were two very distinct voices going on in my head and I moved easily between them. One had to do with sports, street life and establishing myself as a male... The other voice, the one I had from my street friends and teammates, was increasingly dealing with the vocabulary of literature. Walter Dean Myers

Life Myself Sports Teammates Other Increasingly Distinct Easily Vocabulary Voice Voices Had Head Between Dealing Were Male Friends Very Going Moved Establishing Literature Them Street Two

Walter Dean Myers Quotes

No more Walter Dean Myers quotes