Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 500

"I’m a philosophy professor.""If you could give one piece...

"I’m a philosophy professor."
"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"Never make an exception of yourself."
"What does that mean?"
"People like to make exceptions of themselves. They hold other people to moral codes that they aren’t willing to follow themselves. For example, people tend to think that if they tell a lie, it’s because it was absolutely necessary. But if someone else tells a lie, it means they’re dishonest. So never make an exception of yourself. If you’re a thief, don’t complain about being robbed.”

She had a stack of comic books in her lap, so I asked: “If...

She had a stack of comic books in her lap, so I asked: “If you had a superpower, what would it be?”

“I’d never have to pee,” she said.

"We met 55 years ago on a teen tour, and have been best friends...

"We met 55 years ago on a teen tour, and have been best friends ever since."

“What’s her best quality?”

“She’s loyal.”

“What’s the toughest thing she’s ever helped you through?”

“I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m going to. Fourteen years ago, I got lung cancer. Then seven or eight years ago, I got breast cancer. And now the lung cancer’s back. I must have set a record or something, because it was fourteen years ago, but now it’s back, and it’s metastasized, and the prognosis is not good.”

“She’s doing good. The chemo is working.”

“She’s right, I’m doing ok, and I’ll make it longer than expected, but the prognosis is not good. And I’m gonna cry now, but I’ve got to say— and I know it’s a cliche— but she’s been there every step of the way. Every appointment, every surgery, every time I’ve done chemo, she’s been there. And I couldn’t have come this far without her.”

"She’s nice-tee.""Nice-tee?""A little nice. A little...

"She’s nice-tee."
"Nice-tee?"
"A little nice. A little nasty."

"I think we’re both going through a quarter-life crisis...

"I think we’re both going through a quarter-life crisis right now."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, so much of your energy in college, and immediately afterwards, goes into finding that first job. Then you finally get a job, and you get settled in, and you get past that initial hump of excitement. Then you start to ask yourself some big questions.”
"What kind of questions?"
"Things like: Is my work getting recognized? Is this job leading me toward my larger goals in life? Do I have balance?"

“I worked in law enforcement my whole life.”“What’s the...

“I worked in law enforcement my whole life.”
“What’s the toughest part about working in law enforcement?”
“Being surrounded by so much negativity, and keeping that negativity from spilling into the rest of your life. It’s unbelievable what you see out there. There are people who will kill both their parents for a $5 bag of dope.”

"I haven’t slept in a very long time."“Why’s...

"I haven’t slept in a very long time."

“Why’s that?”

“I work two jobs at two different hotels. I just finished three shifts in a row. Last night I went to my room service job at 11 PM, and worked through the night until 6 AM. I went home to take a shower, then had to be at the other hotel for my front desk job at 8 AM. I worked there until 3:30 PM, then ran back to the first hotel for another shift that started at 4 PM. I just got off a few minutes ago, and I’m sitting here to rest for a moment before getting on the train home.”

“Oh, wow.”

“I work this hard because I’m a single parent. I came here when I was very young from the Dominican Republic. I’m very happy with what I have done. I started with nothing and I raised two kids. But I have to work two jobs so that they can get an education and go to college. I tell them everyday: ‘Look at how hard I work. Look at how I don’t have time to sleep. I can’t control my own time. I can’t manage my own schedule. This is why you need an education. I work this hard so that you can do the things that I am unable to do, and have the things that I can’t have.’”

BREAKING NATURE NEWS: Scientists around the world are no doubt...

BREAKING NATURE NEWS: Scientists around the world are no doubt stunned by my discovery of this sweet praying mantis in Times Square last night.

"Back in Greece, your circle of friends grows larger and larger...

"Back in Greece, your circle of friends grows larger and larger as you go through life. In America, the circle mostly shrinks or stays the same size."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Time. Nobody has time here. It seems that every time you make a new friend, another friend has grown too busy or moved away."

"He does a great Penelope Cruz impression."

"He does a great Penelope Cruz impression."