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Colson Whitehead Quotes


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Quotes by Colson Whitehead

Showing 61-70 of 105 Quotes by Colson Whitehead

The movie 'Rock 'n' Roll High School' was a sacred text in my household.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: High High School Household Movie Rock Rock N Roll Roll Sacred School Text

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If self-absorption, vague yearnings, and a nagging sense of incompleteness are sins, then surely I will burn for all eternity, and I will save you a seat.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Burn Eternity Save Seat Sense Sins Surely Then Vague Will You

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The readership for 'Sag Harbor' was different from people who'd read me before - it was linear and realistic, not as strange as 'The Intuitionist.' Did they carry over to 'Zone One,' a story about zombies in New York? Some, some not. I'm used to people not caring about my other books.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: About Before Books Caring Carry Did Different Harbor Linear Me New New York Not Caring Other Over People Read Readership Realistic Some Story Strange Used York Zombies Zone

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I knew that a zombie book would not particularly appeal to some of my previous readers, but it was artistically compelling, and being able to do a short nonfiction book about poker was really fun and great.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Able About Appeal Being Book Compelling Fun Great Knew Nonfiction Particularly Poker Previous Readers Really Short Some Would Zombie

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I started writing in the '90s, so I was free to just have an eccentric career and not conform to some idea of what a black writer has to do. I didn't have the burden of representation.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Black Burden Career Conform Eccentric Free Idea Just Representation Some Started Writer Writing

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Growing up as a product of the black civil-rights movement, I had a lot of different models for black weirdness, whether it's Richard Pryor or James Baldwin or Jimmy Walker.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Black Different Growing Growing Up Had James Jimmy Lot Models Movement Product Pryor Richard Richard Pryor Up Walker Weirdness Whether

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In the 1930s, the government paid writers to interview 80- and 90-year-old former slaves, and I read those accounts. I came away realizing - not surprisingly - that many slave masters were sadists who spent a lot of time thinking up creative ways of hurting people.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Accounts Away Came Creative Former Government Hurting Interview Lot Many Masters Paid People Read Realizing Slave Slaves Spent Surprisingly Thinking Those Time Up Ways Were Who Writers I Came 1930S

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Being a slave meant never having the stability of knowing your family would be together as many years as God designed it to be. It meant you could come back from picking cotton in a field to find that your children are gone, your husband's gone, your mother's gone.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Back Being Children Come Cotton Could Designed Family Field Find God Gone Having Husband Knowing Many Meant Mother Never Picking Slave Stability Together Would Years You Your

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Having a wife and kids drove home the brutal reality of the slave system for me - the price it exacted on families. On the other hand, whenever I despair over our history, I am brought back to hope, the hope that things will get better, for my children.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: Am Back Better Brought Brutal Children Despair Drove Families Get Hand Having History Home Hope Kids Me Other Our Over Price Reality Slave System Things Whenever Wife Will I Am

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I usually have two or three ideas floating around. When I have free time, the one I end up thinking most about is the one I end up pursuing.

~Colson Whitehead

Topics: About Around End Floating Free Free Time Ideas Most Pursuing Thinking Three Time Two Up

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Novelist

Born: Unknown

Links

Find Colson Whitehead on Amazon

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