Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 417

"My stepdad was always demanding that I respect him. Yet he...

"My stepdad was always demanding that I respect him. Yet he didn’t respect me at all."

"People have problems at home and they take it out on other...

"People have problems at home and they take it out on other people. That’s why things are bad. And it just goes on and on."

"I want to be a singer, a president, and a tennis player.""I...

"I want to be a singer, a president, and a tennis player."
"I want to be a president, a teacher, a doctor, and a police."

"I don’t know what to tell you, man."

"I don’t know what to tell you, man."

"I won."

"I won."

"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?"
"I’d tell them the same thing I’d tell one person. That if you understand failure, you won’t be afraid of it anymore. Failure isn’t diving on your face, or hitting rock bottom. That’s just being human. You only fail when you decide to not try again. So it’s entirely in your control. Once you understand failure, it’s impossible to fail."

"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?""When I turned...

"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?"
"When I turned myself into the FBI at the age of 21. I’d committed a stupid crime, and I’d never been arrested before, so I was hiding from the cops. But then they started calling my mom. And she called and asked me to turn myself in. And I had to, cause it was my mom."

"My favorite moment is any time that a kid looks at me, and I...

"My favorite moment is any time that a kid looks at me, and I can tell from the look in his eye that he wants to be a musician. Yesterday I gave a drumstick to a kid with a mohawk, and from the excitement in his face, I could tell that he’d never need drugs and alcohol as long as he could play music."

"What’s your favorite thing about your mom?""I’m her...

"What’s your favorite thing about your mom?"
"I’m her dad’s girlfriend, actually."
"Oh! What’s your favorite thing about dad’s girlfriend?"
"Her impressions of my dad."

"My girlfriend’s parents are really religious. The first...

"My girlfriend’s parents are really religious. The first time I met them, they called her later and asked: ‘Is your new friend struggling with her sexuality?’"