Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 382

Seen at Coney Island

Seen at Coney Island

"What’s your sister’s best quality?""What does...

"What’s your sister’s best quality?"
"What does ‘quality’ mean?"
"What’s the best part of her personality?"
"She doesn’t really have a personality yet."

"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?""Nice meeting...

"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?"
"Nice meeting you. I’ve got to get back on the bus."

"I looked different before the cancer."

"I looked different before the cancer."

"What’s the most trouble you’ve ever gotten...

"What’s the most trouble you’ve ever gotten in?"
"Tried to talk to a female cadet at boot camp."
"Decided to test the pepper spray."
"Didn’t shave."

"I came over with a student visa. I wanted to study computers,...

"I came over with a student visa. I wanted to study computers, but I couldn’t enroll in school until I could prove that I had money to pay the tuition. The first three weeks I slept on trains. I kept asking people where I could find the Senegalese community. Eventually I met a person who told me to go to Harlem because there was an African community there. In Harlem, I found an association for Senegalese people. And they had places to stay for people who were new. I did restaurant and cleaning jobs for a couple of years. Eventually I met my wife and became a citizen. And now I have a security job, so I can finally enroll in school."

Seen in East Village

Seen in East Village

"If you could give one piece of advice to yourself at the age of...

"If you could give one piece of advice to yourself at the age of eighteen, what would it be?"

“If you want something, you’ve got to ask. Hard work isn’t enough. Yes, you need to work hard. But then you’ve got to ask.”

"I’m not bragging or anything, but I’m no ordinary...

"I’m not bragging or anything, but I’m no ordinary dude. I know I look like an old fart rolling around the neighborhood. But I used to be a model in GQ. And I was on that show, Flipper. And one time, a famous photographer took a portrait of me and hung it in the Brooklyn Museum. He titled it ‘The Old Master."

“Master of what?”

“Bullshit, I guess.”

"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?"

“Don’t make eye contact.”