Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry Quotes

“Each second that goes by, we're all one second closer to the rest of our lives and our deaths.”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry: By Mildred D. Taylor

“Then if you want something and it's a good thing an you got it in the right way, you better hang on to it and don't let nobody talk you out of it. You care what a lot of useless people say 'bout you and you'll never get anywhere, 'cause there's a lotta folks [who] don't want you to make it.”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry: By Mildred D. Taylor

“There are things you can't back down on, things you gotta take a stand on. But it's up to you to decide what them things are. You have to demand respect in this world, ain't nobody just gonna hand it to you. How you carry yourself, what you stand for - that's how you gain respect. But, little one, ain't nobody's respect worth more than your own. You understand that?”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry: By Mildred D. Taylor

“It's tough out there, boy, and as long as there are people, there's gonna be somebody trying to take what you got and trying to drag you down. It's up to you whether you let them or not.”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry: By Mildred D. Taylor

“No one answered him and he said no more. When we reached the crossroads, he looked hopefully at us as if we might relent and say good-bye. But we did not relent and as I glanced back at him standing alone in the middle of the crossing, he looked as if the world itself was slung around his neck. (3.48)”
― Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry: By Mildred D. Taylor