“I know what falling off the cliff means. I know from being considered ...” — Walter Dean Myers Quote

“I know what falling off the cliff means. I know from being considered a very bright kid to being considered like a moron and dropping out of school.”

“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.”

“I think it's difficult for young people to acknowledge being smart, to knowledge being a reader. I see kids who are embarrassed to read books. They're embarrassed to have people see them doing it.”

“I write what I call 'novels of consolation' for people who are bright and sophisticated.”

“Character must be kept bright as well as clean.”

“Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson or cherry - are very cheerful and youthful. There is certainly a red for everyone.”