Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak Quotes

When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time.

I just want to sleep. A coma would be nice. Or amnesia. Anything, just to get rid of this, these thoughts, whispers in my mind. Did he rape my head, too?

Art without emotion its like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag.

I wonder how long it would take for anyone to notice if I just stopped talking.

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.

Gym should be illegal. It's humiliating.

Too much sun after a Syracuse winter does strange things to your head, makes you feel strong, even if you aren't.

It's easier to floss with barbed wire than admit you like someone in middle school.

I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So, how can I find my way? Is there a chain saw of the soul, an ax I can take to my memories or fears?

Mr. Freeman sighs. "No imagination. What are you thirteen? Fourteen? You've already let them beat your creativity out of you!

I watch the Eruptions. Mount Dad, long dormant, now considered armed and dangerous. Mount Saint Mom, oozing lava, spitting flame. Warn the villagers to run into the sea.

I want to make a memorial for our turkey. Never has a bird been so tortured to provide such a lousy dinner.

It doesn't hurt. Nothing hurts except the small smiles and blushes that flash across the room like tiny sparrows.

I pull my lower lip all the way in between my teeth. If I try hard enough, maybe I can gobble my whole self this way.... I didn't try hard enough to swallow myself.

I have never heard a more eloquent silence.

IT happened. There is no avoiding it, no forgetting. No running away, or flying, or burying, or hiding.

I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with a S maybe, S for silent, S for stupid, for scared. S for silly. For shame.

If I ever form a clan, we'll be the anti-cheerleaders and walk under the bleacher forming mild acts of mayhem.

This is wonderful, wonderful! Be the bird. You are the bird. Sacrifice yourself to abandoned family values....

I won't take a real nap. I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don't even need to close my eyes, just stay safe under the covers and breathe.

I can't do everything for you. You must walk alone to find your soul.

Me: "All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don't know what that means. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel.

I hate winter. I’ve lived in Syracuse my whole life and I hate winter. It starts too early and ends too late. No one likes it.

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