Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 317

"What do you feel most guilty about?""That guy I killed two...

"What do you feel most guilty about?"
"That guy I killed two years ago."
"What happened?"
"He asked to take my picture."

"We’re all victims of the architect. Architecture is the...

"We’re all victims of the architect. Architecture is the only art that you can’t help but feel. You can avoid paintings, you can avoid music, and you can even avoid history. But good luck getting away from architecture."

"I survived a long term murder plot against my life."

"I survived a long term murder plot against my life."

"I was tired of working retail, so I lied on my resume and said...

"I was tired of working retail, so I lied on my resume and said that I had bookkeeper experience. I learned as much as I could from Google before the job interview, and printed out balance sheets to practice on. After I got the job, I read as much as I could every morning on the train. It was nerve wracking at first, but I presented the numbers at the end of the month, and everything checked out. May not have been the best way to get a job, but hey— I’ve got a son to look out for."

"How’d you meet?""He was representing my best...

"How’d you meet?"
"He was representing my best friend’s ex-husband in a trial, and I marched into his office to inform him that his client was a lying scumbag."
"And so what were you thinking while she was yelling at you?"
“‘That’s a good looking woman.’”

"Before he was born, so much of my life was about moving...

"Before he was born, so much of my life was about moving forward. I was always looking toward the next house, the next car, the next job. Having a child with special needs really made me slow down and examine my definition of success. It also opened my eyes to how many people around me were willing to help."
"What was your most difficult moment as a parent?"
"After being strong for so long, there was a moment when my wife finally broke down. And that was very difficult for me to see."
"What was your happiest moment?"
"After months of coming home from work every day, kissing him on the cheek, and telling him I loved him— one day he said it back."

"We’ve run marathons together on all seven...

"We’ve run marathons together on all seven continents."
"You ran a marathon in Antarctica?"
"Ran it? She won it!"

“My happiest memories are from when I was growing up in South...

“My happiest memories are from when I was growing up in South Carolina. I remember sitting in the kitchen, waiting on breakfast and listening to the coffee perkin’. My grandmother had her own garden, and my grandfather had his own grocery store, so we always had fresh vegetables and grits and bacon and eggs. That was a big deal back then in the 50’s— for a black man to own a grocery store. If someone needed credit, my grandfather would just write their name in a book. And if they couldn’t pay, he’d just forget about it. He was shorter than I was, and very quiet. But everybody respected him. He used to walk to the store every morning before dawn, with a 38’ in his hand. Every night he’d walk home with that same gun in his hand. Even the white delivery men called him Mr. Robinson. MISTER Robinson.”

“We met at a party fifty years ago. He’d just drank a yard of...

“We met at a party fifty years ago. He’d just drank a yard of ale when I met him. Do you have that expression here— ‘yard of ale?’ It’s when you pour a pint of ale down a tube, straight into your throat. Anyway, he was feeling quite good. He called me ‘funny face’ that night. And he’s called me ‘funny face’ ever since. We stayed at the party so late that we missed the last bus, and on the walk home we planned our honeymoon.”

"I’ve spent my career in social work, finding jobs for...

"I’ve spent my career in social work, finding jobs for people with disabilities. I love helping people, but I’m tired of being poor. So I’m looking for a job that’s a bit more commercial."
"What was the most frustrating part of social work?"
"All the best people leave."