Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

Be not afraid of discomfort. If you can't put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow. You will never change. You'll never learn.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

It's hard to be what you can't see.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

Writing is like any other sort of sport. In order for you to get better at it, you have to exercise the muscle.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

The idea of the mask in any scenario has always fascinated me. Not only does it protect identity, it also allows one to hide.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

All I want kids to know is that I see them for who they are and not who everyone thinks they are.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

One thing I wish I'd been told in school is that my language is valid.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

I'm writing all the books I wish I had when I was a kid.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

I believe that every character is a setting, a world with moving parts, and on the other hand, every setting is, in fact, a character - a living breathing thing with personality and backstory. The way stories come to life, at least for me, is when these elements commune in relationship to one another.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

The truth is, my life was made infinitely more difficult because I didn't read any books. But I didn't read any books. That's my story. That's my truth.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

I just want young people to read my books and feel cared for, feel safe, feel like there's someone else in the world who understands - or at least acknowledges - your existence.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

When Black Lives Matter started, it was polarizing.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

I know the feeling of confusion and betrayal. I know the feeling of fearing for my life.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

Gratitude is one of the greatest gifts we can give. And it's not a gift we often give to children. We expect it of them, but we don't necessarily give it back.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

The truths are universal: Every kid knows fear. Every kid knows family and friendship. Loss, love, laughter. Everything else is just detail.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

The literary world has to compete with YouTube, Instagram, PlayStation, Xbox, Hulu.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

I would go to the store, I would buy cassette tapes, and I would read the liner notes and sort of subconsciously creating the connections between the rappers that I was reading and the poets that they were teaching us in school.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

Hip-hop saved me. It gave me permission to use language in a certain way. It validated my community and my friends. It gave our slang a certain elegance.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

It wasn't that the teachers were bad. From what I can remember, they were pretty good. It was about the selection of books. It was about not seeing my young life reflected back to me: my family dynamics, the noise and complexities of my neighborhood, the things I loved, like ice cream trucks and Kool-Aid.

Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds

When I was a kid, I couldn't see life outside ramen noodles and Kool-Aid.