Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.

You can say, “Oh, I don’t pick sides,” but at some point life will force you to pick a side.

Because the generations who came before you have been pillaged, rather than being free to use your skills and education to move forward, you lose everything just trying to bring everyone behind you back up to zero.

“Learn from your past and be better because of your past,”

Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter.”

My mom would always say, “My job is to feed your body, feed your spirit, and feed your mind.” That’s exactly what she did,

“Mom, these are fake,” I said. “I don’t see the difference.” “Look at the logo. There are four stripes instead of three.” “Lucky you,” she said. “You got one extra.”

When things were going well we’d have chicken. My mom was an expert at cracking open a chicken bone and getting out every last bit of marrow inside. We didn’t eat chickens. We obliterated them. Our family was an archaeologist’s nightmare. We left no bones behind.

We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.

A dog is a great thing for a kid to have. It’s like a bicycle but with emotions.

You do not own the thing that you love.

Being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being.

Relationships are built in the silences. You spend time with people, you observe them and interact with them, and you come to know them—and