Shout Quotes

“too many grown-ups tell kids to follow their dreams
like that's going to get them somewhere
Auntie Laurie says follow your nightmares instead
cuz when you figure out what's eating you alive
you can slay it”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“We should teach our girls that snapping is ok, instead of waiting for someone else to break them.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Censorship is the child of fear
the father of ignorance
and the desperate weapon of fascists everywhere.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Shame, turned inside out, is rage.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Eve ate the apple
because Adam
was afraid”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“the false innocence
you render for them
by censoring truth
protects only you”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“the only thing that helped me breathe was opening a book”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“This note about anatomy
from me to you
is for the remembering that
after you speak
after you shout
your open mouth
will breathe in the light
for which you've hungered
and your backbone will unfurl,
until you can again dance to the beat
of your steadfast heart.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“This is not a resting bitch face This is a touch-me-and-die face”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“I was in a race to see if I would die from the outside in or the inside out.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“This is the story of a girl who lost her voice and wrote herself a new one.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“I wanted a coffin made of wood
from trees not yet planted
my appetite for time was growing.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Trying to figure out what you want to do, who you want to be, is messy as hell; the best anyone can hope for is to figure out the next step.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Too many grown ups tell kids to follow their dreams, like that's going to get them somewhere. Auntie Laurie says follow your nightmares instead. Because when you figure out what's eating you alive, you can slay it.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“untreated pain
is a cancer of the soul
that can kill you”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“The taste of shame smells
like stubborn vomit in your hair
lingering no matter how often you was it
sometimes you have to shave
yourself bald
and start again like a newly hatched chick
leaving the faint rot of broken magic
in shattered eggshell pieces
behind you.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Take your age the first time a stranger touched
your body with danger in his hands,
evil-minded...

But it's not usually a stranger, is it<”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Rape wounds deeply, splits open
your core with shrapnel.
The stench of the injury attracts maggots
which hatch into clouds of doubt and self-loathing
the dirt you feel inside you nourishes
anxiety, depression, and shame
poisoning your blood, festering
in your brain until you will do anything to stop
feeling the darkness rising within
anything
to stop feeling–

untreated pain
is a cancer of the soul
that can kill you”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Pain won't be contained
by bars or marks
your scars deserve attention, too.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“The false innocence
you render for them
by censoring truth
protects only you.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“She snapped," they said.
"Couldn't take it anymore."
"Reached her breaking point."
We should teach our girls that snapping is okay instead of waiting for someone else to break them.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“But I had never seen a first aid kit for the spirit...”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“When one suffers, all are weakened, but when everyone thrives, we dance.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Defense lawyer did his job
by attacking the victim
shouting that she drank, she danced,
she dressed to look good
she wanted it, she followed him
liked it rough
or planned on marriage or extortion
as she cried on the stand, long blonde hair
in front of her face, a curtain for her sanity,
he painted her into a corner with accusations”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“Sisters, drop
everything. Walk
away from the lake, leaning
on each other's shoulders
when you need
the support. Feel the contradictions
of another truth ready
to be born: shame
turned inside out
is rage.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“stories entertain
engage, outrage
uplift, help us
overcome
our troubles
. . .
stories activate, motivate,
celebrate, cerebrate,
snare our fates
and share our great
incarnations of hope”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“And after the crop is harvested
the fields cleared of rocks and stubble
swords beaten into plowshares
dirt furrowed
the new seeds, planted deep and cared for,
will grow into strong children
with kind hands and strong bodies
and honorable hearts
the first generation unscarred
untouchable
that's your loss
and our triumph”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“The opposite of innocence
is not sin. Dearly beloved,
the opposite of innocence
is strength.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“But I had never seen a first aid kit for the spirit
or heard the word "trauma" to describe
the way I'd hide, slide through the days unseen
or scream into pillows
at the bottom of my closet
door closed even though no one was home.
Rape wounds deeply, splits open
your core with shrapnel.
The stench of the injury attracts maggots
which hatch into clouds of doubt and self-loathing
the dirt you feel inside you nourishes
anxiety, depression, and shame
poisoning your blood, festering
in your brain until you will do anything to stop
feeling the darkness rising within
anything
to stop the feeling -

untreated pain
is a cancer of the soul
that can kill you”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

“I learned then that words
had such power
some must never be spoken
and was thus robbed of both
tongue and the truth.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout