Best Quotes from The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore with Page Numbers

"Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways."

"I was taught to remember, but never question. Wes was taught to forget, and never ask why."

"Main Man, you just can’t hit people, and particularly women. You must defend them, not fight them. Do you understand?"

"My father had entered the hospital seeking help. But his face was unshaven, his clothes disheveled, his name unfamiliar, his address not in an affluent area."

"She wouldn’t tolerate it in others either."

"Mary was the first in her family to even begin college. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Community College of Baltimore."

"I wondered how long I would have to call these streets home."

"Together, they left Bill for good. My mom vowed to never let another man put his hands on her."

"I’m not sure what was easier or less lofty about that name..."

"Her unrelenting stare. They didn’t speak for the rest of the night."

You need to take this shit seriously, man. Acting stupid ain’t cool!

Young boys are more likely to believe in themselves if they know that there’s someone, somewhere, who shares that belief.

To carry the burden of belief alone is too much for most young shoulders.

Tony wanted the best for Wes, but he still felt that part of his mission as a big brother was to toughen him up for the battles Tony knew Wes would have to fight.

If someone disrespects you, you send a message so fierce that they won’t have the chance to do it again.

There was never a question that Cherry Hill wasn’t built as a sustainable community for its families.

The Bronx is an amazing place, home to over a million people.

The basketball court is a strange patch of neutral ground, a meeting place for every element of a neighborhood’s cohort of young men.

You’d find the freelancers pushing off for rebounds, and the A students, quietly showing off silky jump shots and then running back downcourt eyes down, trying not to look too pleased with themselves.

We played that first night until I saw the streetlights come on, my cue to head to the house.

When things were falling apart, my mother was determined to see us through it.

The school she wanted for us was a haven, a place where I could escape my neighborhood and open my horizons.

I had forgotten how to act naturally, thinking way too much in each situation and getting tangled in the contradictions between my two worlds.

My confidence took a hit. I began to let my grades slip.

Elected officials deduced that a strong percentage of kids reading below their grade level by third grade would be needing a secure place to stay when they got older.

The sun continued its rapid descent. We tried to keep a bop in our step, tried to keep it cool, but by now we were pretty explicitly speedwalking.

For me, it was where I got lost.

I became too 'rich' for the kids from the neighborhood and too 'poor' for the kids at school.

I could feel the fear that crept around the edges of our consciousness at dusk.

With each inhalation, the smoke passed more easily, and by the third toke, I was taking deep puffs and holding them in my lungs.

For the first time in a long time I was reminded of the daily miracle of my freedom, the ability to move, explore, meet new people, or simply enjoy the sun beating down on my face.

Providing for others isn’t easy. And the mistakes you make trying are pretty unforgiving.

And second chances are pretty fleeting.

It’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.

You have potential to do so much more, go so much further.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

Don't ask a question unless you are ready to hear the answer.

The problem was that I wasn’t even showing up half the time.

If you don’t get smart, I am certain I will see you again.

All I wanted to do was turn around, go home, and never find myself at this precipice again for such a stupid reason.

"The burden of loneliness was suddenly lifted. Someone finally understood me."

"I will never forget you!"

"It was a different psychological environment, where my normal expectations were inverted, where leadership was honored and class clowns were ostracized."

"I am so proud of you, and your father is proud of you, and we just want you to give this a shot."

"Too many people have sacrificed in order for you to be there."

"These forks in the road can happen so fast for young boys; within months or even weeks, their journeys can take a decisive and possibly irrevocable turn."

"It’s time to stop running."

"That’s when I started to understand that I was in a different environment."

"With no intervention—or the wrong intervention—they can be lost forever."

"I was still watching Captain Hill out of the corner of my eye when Colonel Batt moved toward me."

"All that mattered was that he was here. He had accomplished his mission of completing high school."

"The simple math. Only 60 players are chosen in the NBA draft every year... it is important that you understand that the chances are not in your favor."

"Without a high school diploma or job training—and with a criminal record—Wes found it almost impossible to find a job to support his growing family."

"He knew pretty quickly that he would not last long... Teachers already dealing with overcrowded classrooms didn’t have the time to teach Wes the basics he’d missed."

"This charade went on for months... Wes didn’t live there so much as he used Nicey’s home as a place to rest and, increasingly, a place to hide his drugs."

"Wes would find himself wondering about the percentage of that money that found its way into his pocket."

"...scared money didn’t make money."

"He suddenly realized: the drug game was raw capitalism on overdrive with bullets, a pyramid scheme whose base was dead bodies and ruined lives."

"That was a pivotal moment for Wes, who had been standing at a crossroads, forced to choose between his family responsibilities and the allure of easy money."

"I had to let this one go. I had to look at the bigger picture."

"We will do what others expect of us... If they expect us to go to jail, then that’s where we will end up too."

"True, but it’s easy to lose control when you were never looking for it in the first place."

"When it is time for you to leave this school, make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were ever here."

"Life’s impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It’s what shapes our time here."

"If you are serious about it, it doesn’t take much... You have got to push through. Feel me?"

"During the hardest times, sometimes all you need is one good reason to stay on the right path."

"The Army was living the democratic ideal ahead of the rest of America."

"I started to see it a little differently... Life’s impermanence... makes it so important that not a single moment be wasted."

"His love for her and their kids kept him from seeing the truth that now stared him in the face."

"He wanted to protect his young daughter, shelter her."

"Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier."

"The common bond of humanity and decency that we share is stronger than any conflict, any adversity, any challenge."

"Fighting for your convictions is important. But finding peace is paramount."

"Knowing when to fight and when to seek peace is wisdom."

"It was a chance to go home."

"That’s what Paul White did for me, and it changed my life."

"I had spent so much time running from her, trying to show her I didn’t need her as much as she thought. But as I got older... she became more than a mother, she became a friend."

"Reversals spun them right back to the streets and away from their true ambitions."

"While you are in South Africa, admire the beauty and culture. But make sure you do not leave without understanding the history."

"The legacy of apartheid was glaringly obvious in South Africa’s cities."