The most difficult idea to reconcile in war is the notion that anything is going to be solved by killing a stranger, or in risking your life for a cause anchored in some distant political arena.
Walter Dean MyersRead
Yeah, that's funny, huh?...Something hurts you real bad and you get used to it. Like being hurt becomes part of who you are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates how enduring pain can become an integral part of one's identity over time.
Walter Dean Myers reflects on the human capacity to adapt to and internalize suffering. The quote suggests that when someone experiences deep pain or trauma, the effects can shape and become intertwined with their sense of self, illustrating a complex relationship with suffering as both a burden and a formative element of identity.
Themes
PainIdentitySufferingResilienceAdaptation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity, you might say, 'Remember, something hurts you real bad, and you get used to it, like being hurt becomes part of who you are.'
More from Walter Dean Myers
All quotes →I remember one time being told I could not play in a basketball game at the College of William and Mary because I was black, even though I was playing with a United States Army team.
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As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart - often for years - until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament.
Walter Dean MyersRead
We need to tell young people that America was built by men and women of all colors and that the future of this country is dependent on the participation of all of our citizens.
Walter Dean MyersRead
Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books?
Walter Dean MyersRead
We’re suggesting that [kids are] missing something if they don’t read but, actually, we’re condemning kids to a lesser life. If you had a sick patient, you would not try to entice them to take their medicine. You would tell them, ‘Take this or you’re going to die.’ We need to tell kids flat out: reading is not optional.
Walter Dean MyersRead
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