No Talking Quotes

“Dave couldn't remember the last time a grownup had apologized to him.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Okay heres the deal a whole day of NO TALKING IN SCJHOOL.Not in class,not in the halls, not on the plaground nowhere.No talking at all. And its a contest- BOYS AGAINST GIRLS. Whichever side talks less, wins.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Laketon Elementary School was in the middle of a medium-size town in the middle of New Jersey. There was a reason Dave was in the middle of his fourth hour of not talking, but this isn’t the time to tell about that. This is the time to tell what he figured out in the middle of his social studies class.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“David?” Dave had been home five minutes when he heard his mom come in the front door and call his name. He was upstairs. In the bathroom. She called again. “David, answer me!” To be more specific, Dave was sitting on the toilet. “DAVID! ANSWER ME!” Dave knew that tone of voice. He had to do something right away. So he reached over and banged on the inside of the bathroom door. It was the wrong move. His mom was up those front stairs and”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“his mind.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Mrs. Hiatt didn’t simply like being in charge of her own school. She felt like she needed to be in charge.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“—Every word counts.
—Choose power words.
—Hemingway would approve.
—Focus and narrow.
—Ideas are collapsible.
—Remember Miles Davis.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Would not talking make him . . . smarter? Would he finally understand fractions?”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
AND TO THE REPUBLIC
FOR WHICH IT STANDS,
ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE,
WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Dave wondered what that meant, “to bring order to his mind.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“You said, “Um, the first day.” Um counts as a word. So you said four, and you cost the boys one whole point—loser! Ha-ha! Lynsey”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“For many years, one day each week
Gandhi did not speak at all. Gandhi believed
this was a way to bring
order to his mind.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“CHAPTER 2 GANDHI When something happens, there’s usually a simple explanation. But that simple explanation is almost never the full story. Here’s the simple explanation anyway: Dave had decided to stop talking for a whole day because of something he’d read in a book. See? Very simple, very clear. But it’s not the whole story. So here’s a little more. Dave and a partner had to prepare a report on India—not a long one, just some basic facts. Something about the history, something about the government, something about the land and the industry, something about the Indian people and their culture. Five minutes or less. Dave’s report partner was Lynsey Burgess, and neither one of them was happy about that—there were some boy-girl problems at Laketon Elementary School. But this isn’t the time to tell about that. Even though Dave and Lynsey had to give their report together, they both agreed that they did not want to prepare it together. So they divided the topics in half, and each worked alone. Dave was a good student, and he had found two books about India, and he had checked them out of the library. He hadn’t read both books, not completely—he wasn’t that good a student. But he had read parts of both books. Dave thought the most interesting section in each book was the part about how India became independent, how the country broke away from England to become a free nation—sort of like the United States did. And Dave thought the most interesting person in the story of India’s independence was Mahatma Gandhi. Dave was amazed by Gandhi. This one skinny little man practically pushed the whole British army out of India all by himself. But he didn’t use weapons or violence. He fought with words and ideas. It was an incredible story, all of it true. And in one of the books, Dave read this about Gandhi:”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“GANDHI”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“ZIPPED”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Monday”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Dave had decided to stop talking for a whole day because of something he’d read in a book.”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“She was scared.”
“It was dark.”
“‘Oh, no—snakes!’”
“One bit her.”
“‘Ow! My leg!’”
“She limped outside.”
“Her neighbor came.”
“‘What’s wrong?’”
“‘Snakes are everywhere!’”
“‘Are they poisonous?’”
“‘Yes, and smelly!’”
“‘Quick, my car!’”
“‘You saved me!’”
“‘Darn! Dead battery!”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“Dave”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking

“She pulled the trigger on the bullhorn.“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN OUR ASSEMBLY THIS MORNING?” The principal’s voice echoed off the walls. The kids stared at her. She aimed the bullhorn at Dave and yelled, “DAVID PACKER, ANSWER ME: DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD ALL OF YOU THIS MORNING?” When Dave nodded his head, she yelled, “ANSWER ME. WITH YOUR VOICE. OUT LOUD.” So Dave swallowed his first bite of macaroni and cheese and said, “I remember.” His voice sounded very small. Dave felt like he was the Scarecrow talking to the Great and Powerful Oz. Mrs. Hiatt took five steps closer to Dave and shouted, “THEN WHY AREN’T YOU TALKING WITH YOUR FRIENDS?”
― Andrew Clements, No Talking