When I Began To Read, I Began

I Want Young People To Be Hesitant To Glorify War And To Demand Of Their Leaders Justification For The Sacrifices They Ask Of Our Citizens.

It Is This Language Of Values Which I Hope To Bring To My Books. . . . I Want To Bring Values To Those Who Have Not Been Valued, And I Want To Etch Those Values In Terms Of The Ideal. Young People Need Ideals Which Identify Them, And Their Lives, As Central . . . Guideposts Which Tell Them What They Can Be, Should Be, And Indeed Are.

As A Child I Wanted To Be A Professional Athlete Or Lawyer.

Each Time I Think There Is No Place Lower To Go, I Find That There Is At Least One Place That Will Mess You Up Worse Than You Were.

Everything In Life Is Made Up...you Make Up That You Are Happy. You Make Up That You Are Sad. You Make Up That You Are In Love. If You Don't Make Up Your Own Life, Who's Going To Make It Up For You? It's Bad Enough When You Die And Everybody Can Make Up Their Own Stories About You. —mr. Hooft