Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 370

"When I was 22, I fell off a fishing boat in the middle of the...

"When I was 22, I fell off a fishing boat in the middle of the night. We were about 200 miles from shore, fishing for swordfish. I was trying to bend a pipe into place when it gave way and dumped me in the ocean. They didn’t notice I was gone for about 20 minutes. The waves were about twelve feet high, and between the waves I could see the boat going further and further and further until it completely disappeared. You know how they say that when you’re dying, you’re supposed to go toward the light? Well, when I thought I was dying, the light was moving further and further away."

"I’m trying to distance myself from the idea that youth is...

"I’m trying to distance myself from the idea that youth is the best time of life, because a lot of my friends are really anxious about growing older. I’m studying classical drawing, which helps. It really slows things down. We can work an entire month on a single drawing. And I don’t plan on reaching my peak before the age of fifty."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?""A...

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A veterinarian."
"What’s going to be the hardest part about being a veterinarian?"
"Getting bit."

"What’s something that all of you have in...

"What’s something that all of you have in common?"
"We’ve all dealt with something major. And we all like the same kind of music."

"I have this saying: ‘Things have an awfully funny way of...

"I have this saying: ‘Things have an awfully funny way of working out.’ Actually— I changed it recently. Now I say: ‘Things have an awfully funny way of working out. If you make them work out.’"
"What caused you to change your saying?"
"Things weren’t working out."

"I can walk this bucket all the way around the car without...

"I can walk this bucket all the way around the car without getting down. You ever seen a man wash the entire top of a car without getting off his bucket? That’s right. I didn’t think so."

"What’s something about the cello that most people...

"What’s something about the cello that most people don’t know?"
"You have to buy it a seat on commercial flights."

"What do you miss most about Brazil?""I’m not sure how to...

"What do you miss most about Brazil?"
"I’m not sure how to say in English. Can I email you?"
"Just try."
"In Brazil. My people. Money or no money. Still happy."

"On my 50th birthday, my family took me to what I thought was...

"On my 50th birthday, my family took me to what I thought was going to be a small dinner. But when I got there, I discovered that they’d rented the entire party room. My entire family was there: brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews. They had come from all over the country, and I knew that many of them were strapped financially. It just made me feel so loved."

"It seems like a much better rose from the outside. My friends...

"It seems like a much better rose from the outside. My friends in Jamaica thought that I’d be able to help support them once I got over here. But it’s a rat race. You gotta bust ass just to pay the rent."