Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 377

"I shouldn’t have moved in with him just because I was...

"I shouldn’t have moved in with him just because I was lonely."

"I’d say 20 percent of the people sleeping at my shelter...

"I’d say 20 percent of the people sleeping at my shelter want to improve their condition, and become self-supporting. Another 30 percent are mentally unstable. And it seems the other 50 percent have just grown comfortable with being taken care of, and don’t have any plans beyond smoking or drinking. It’s this last 50 percent that make it so difficult for the 20 percent of us who really want to change our lives. But they actually motivate me. Because I never want to be like them."

"Do you remember the happiest moment of your life?""My dad used...

"Do you remember the happiest moment of your life?"
"My dad used to play trumpet in a big band. One time when I was a kid, he was playing on a cruise ship, and I got to dance with a very wealthy woman."
"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?"
"When they made me start taking the medication."

"I wish I’d been more compassionate toward my mother.""In...

"I wish I’d been more compassionate toward my mother."
"In what way?"
"My father committed suicide when I was nine. I wish I’d understood and accepted my mother’s depression, instead of reacting against it."

"I’ve always been very afraid of being lonely. So I...

"I’ve always been very afraid of being lonely. So I focused on making art that people liked, and that was easy to consume. But art wasn’t fun anymore. So now I just draw weird cartoons."

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of...

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"Just because you admire someone, doesn’t mean you have to try to be like them."
"Who’s someone you admired that you tried to be like?"
"For a few weeks I was wearing the same brands as this skater named Kevin Bradley. And some of my friends were making fun of me for it. They were like: ‘Why are you neckin’ Kevin Bradley?’ And I thought about it, and I realized that it was stupid to try to be like someone else. Because I’m cool enough myself."

"Second day."

"Second day."

"My first marriage lasted ten years.""What happened?""A wise man...

"My first marriage lasted ten years."
"What happened?"
"A wise man once told me: ‘Religious ideology set aside, a relationship needs two things to survive: sex and money.’ And mine didn’t have much of either."
"Who said that quote?"
"My father."

"Today my dad needed a haircut, and I didn’t need a...

"Today my dad needed a haircut, and I didn’t need a haircut. But I went with him anyway because he wanted me to."

"He’s helped me be more comfortable with my emotions....

"He’s helped me be more comfortable with my emotions. I’ve never liked that I have emotions. They make me feel weak."
“Why is that?”
“My mother was always confiding her problems in me when I was growing up. She counted on me for support. I guess I felt like I had to be strong to set an example.”