Jack Gantos Quotes

• Someone once said anyone can be great under rosy circumstances, but the true test of character is measured by how well a person makes decisions during difficult times.

  Jack Gantos

  Character, Decision, Tests

  Jack Gantos (2002). “Hole in My Life”, p.8, Macmillan

  54 Copy quote

• You gotta face the hand you're dealt with and deal with it, and make your problems be the smallest part of who you are.

  Jack Gantos

  Hands, Faces, Problem

  15 Copy quote

• Since I was trying so hard to make books lead my life, I didn’t want to read them and then just put them back on the shelf and say, “good book,” as if I was patting a good dog. I wanted books to change me, and I wanted to write books that would change others.

  Jack Gantos

  Dog, Book, Writing

  Jack Gantos (2002). “Hole in My Life”, p.61, Macmillan

  11 Copy quote

• It's like when you read a book and you know that the words are important, but the images blossoming in your imagination are even more important because it's your mind that allows the words to come to life.

  Jack Gantos

  Book, Imagination, Mind

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Dead End in Norvelt”, p.182, Macmillan

  13 Copy quote

• I want you to take a sleeve of Thin Mints and line them up on the edge of the kitchen counter and when I'm hungry I can just bend over and sweep a cookie into my mouth like I'm scoring a goal in hockey.

  Jack Gantos

  Hockey, Goal, Kitchen

  19 Copy quote

• If you have an orderly mind, you'll be a winner no matter where you end up. If your mind is a jumble of junk, you'll be a loser. It's as simple as that.

  Jack Gantos

  Simple, Mind, Junk

  Jack Gantos (1999). “Jack on the Tracks: Four Seasons of Fifth Grade”, p.19, Macmillan

  10 Copy quote

• Don't ever go to war. Even if you win, the battle is never over inside you.

  Jack Gantos

  War, Winning, Battle

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Dead End in Norvelt”, p.87, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

• You know, Joey, the medication has helped settle you down, but you have been a good kid all along. You are naturally good. I hope you know that about yourself. You have a good heart.

  Jack Gantos

  Heart, Kids, Settling

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key”, p.153, Macmillan

  10 Copy quote

• Each time I read a book, I cataloged the parts that struck me dumb with envy and admiration for their beauty and power and truth.

  Jack Gantos

  Book, Envy, Dumb

  Jack Gantos (2002). “Hole in My Life”, p.21, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

• Don't ever forget your history," she sang, "or any wicked soul can lie to you and get away with it.

  Jack Gantos

  Lying, Soul, Wicked

  7 Copy quote

• Because each book has its own special perfume.

  Jack Gantos

  Book, Special, Perfume

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Dead End in Norvelt”, p.238, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

• It wasn't that I hated being asked a bunch of questions. I had nothing against questions. I just didn't like listening to them, because some questions take forever to make sense. Sometimes waiting for a question to finish is like watching someone draw an elephant starting with the tail first. As soon as you see the tail your mind wanders all over the place and you think of a million other animals that also have tails until you don't care about the elephant because it's only one thing when you've been thinking about a million others.

  Jack Gantos

  Animal, Thinking, Elephants

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key”, p.34, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

• When Patti Fox broke up with me, I typed her name over a thousand times on my manual Olivetti until the entire page was beaten into a stiff sheet of black ink.

  Jack Gantos

  Names, Black, Ink

  5 Copy quote

• You can't do anything for a person who is stuck between being happy and being miserable. All you can do is get trapped in the middle, and anyone in the middle just gets squished.' -Grandma

  Jack Gantos

  Grandma, Miserable, Middle

  Jack Gantos (2002). “What Would Joey Do?”, p.65, Macmillan

  8 Copy quote

• ...who proved that you don't have to do what your parents want, or what your boyfriend wants, for you to be happy. You just have to be yourself, for there is no love greater than self love

  Jack Gantos

  Being Yourself, Self Love, Parent

  Jack Gantos (2011). “Dead End in Norvelt”, p.310, Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

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