Concrete Rose Angie Thomas Quotes

To every kid in Georgetown and in all “the Gardens” of the world: your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be roses that grow in the concrete.

Be roses that grow in the concrete.

Your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be the roses that grow in the concrete.

It's kinda like how we have to do with ourselves. Get rid of the things that don't do us any good. If it won't help the rose grow, you've gotta let it go.

You gotta love people enough to let them go, especially when you're the reason they're gone.

Living your life based off what other people think, ain’t living at all.

Son, one of the biggest lies ever told is that black men don't feel emotions. Guess it's easier not to see us as human when you think we're heartless. Fact of the matter is, we feel things. Hurt, pain, sadness, all of it. We got a right to show them feelings as much as anybody else.

like to be reminded that beauty can come from much of nothing. To me that’s the whole point of flowers.

I'm tired of hearing about all these fucked-up white people who did a bunch of fucked-up stuff, yet people wanna call them heroes

Keep Pushing Mav," Rico Says ," Tough situations don't last. Tough People Do.

The world got some nerve going on without him. People laughing and dreaming when Dre can't.

Loving you isn't enough. Being hard on you isn't enough. I haven't been enough.

Granny do them long prayers, man. She act like God don't know what's going on and it's her job to fill him in

Parenting is hard, cuz. You gon’ break sometimes. The most important thing is that you pull yourself together and go back,

I bet she need a distraction, and babies good at helping you forget death. Probably 'cause they so new.

I'm starting to think being a parent mean you don’t get to have much yourself. All my energy, my money, and my time go to him.

Ain’t no astronauts, doctors, or veterinarians around here. Everybody I know just tryna work

Oooh, these ol' kness. What can I tell you? Roses can bloom in the hardest conditions. - Mr Wyatt

That’s Ma for you. Granny say she came in the world ready for whatever. When things fall apart, she quick to grab the pieces and make something new outta them.

What if you had like a trillion dollars and could live out here in a gigantic mansion. Would you be bougie?' 'Nah, 'cause I wouldn't live out here. I'd live on a private island somewhere so I ain't gotta be bothered by nobody.

I fell asleep in US history. It was boring anyway. I’m tired of hearing ’bout all these fucked-up white people who did fucked-up stuff, yet people wanna call them heroes.

Oh. Well, seven supposed to be holy and the number of perfection,” I say. “I think I wanna make Maverick his middle name. Everybody say he look like me. Since that’s the case, I want him to be the best version of me. The perfect Maverick Carter.

Time is funny, man. Life is funny. We all on this huge planet tryna figure shit out. What is the planet already got it figured out? What if the whole point is for us to mot figure it out? What is God playing with like...like dolls? Some diverse-ass Barbies

And to every kid in Georgetown and in all “the Gardens” of the world: your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be roses that grow in the concrete.

I swear King never give a you-know-what. I think I care more 'bout him than he care 'bout himself.

sometimes one person's hero is another person's monster

Give him a name that tells him who he is and who he can be. The world’s gon’ try to do that enough.

Looks like you’re right. These canes need to be snipped.” “Because they won’t help them grow, right?” “Mmm-hmm. It’s kinda like how we have to do with ourselves. Get rid of things that don’t do us any good. If it won’t help the rose grow, you’ve gotta let it go.

I like to be reminded that beauty can come from much of nothing. To me that’s the whole point of flowers.

For all the roses growing in concrete. Keep blossoming.

So is Iesha.

Roses can bloom in the hardest conditions.

They remind me a lot of my son, honestly. See, with plants and babies it’s all about survival. Nobody flat-out say that when it comes to babies, but it’s the truth. I gotta make sure the plants get everything they need to grow like I gotta do with Seven.

Sometimes one person’s hero is another person’s monster, or in my case, father.

Romeo and Juliet was basically on some gang shit. You could say she was a Queen Lord, and he was a GD. They went out on their own terms like some straight-up Gs.

I think I got a name.

No matter where you come from, you're always worth more than you think,

I wanna hug her, but I don’t got the right.

Tupac, the original rose that grew from concrete. May your words live forever.

He looked in a mirror lately? Stupid written on his forehead.

Don’t let the cuteness fool you. Babies straight-up thugs. They don’t give a damn what you going through.

He yawn and lay down on me. Naptime creeping up on him. I stay this way a minute. I like listening to him breathe and feeling his chest rise against mine. He don’t know that I’m tired all the time or that I’m technically a kid. He just know that I got him. When we like this, I ain’t gotta know a whole lot either. I just know that I love him. I kiss his temple so he’ll know it.

Lisa caress her belly. “One of the few good things during all the bad stuff.” I wrap my arms around her, placing my hands over hers. “She been that for me, too.” Lisa rest her head against my arm, and it’s like we just created our own world where it don’t matter that we two kids who don’t know what the hell we doing. All that matter is us. I look up at the night sky. It’s pitch black, and yet that somehow make the stars shine brighter. Hundreds of lights in all that darkness. Wait a second. A light in the darkness. I smile, and I look at Lisa. “I think I got a name.

Aw, I can go over there any Friday. I figured I’d chill with you and itty-bitty cuz.” “Damn, man. I can’t tonight. I got laundry and homework.” “Can’t you do that this weekend? I got us a pizza from Sal’s, and I got that new Lawless CD that drop next week.” “Yooo!” I say, into my fist. “How you get that?

..."You know what this mean, right?" he says, after a miniute. That's one reason I couldn't sleep last night. I stare ahead at the floor, and I can almost see Dre. I'll never fforget holding him in the middle of the street as blood leaked outta his boddyd. It's tatted on my brain for life....I look at King. "I gotta kill that nigga.

Living your life based off what other people think ain't living at all!

Living your life based off what other people think ain’t living at all.

I rest my forehead on his high chair. I give up. He too stubborn and smart for his own good. Yesterday I gave him pancakes for breakfast, and he wouldn’t let this one li’l piece go for nothing. Acted a fool when I tried to take it from him. I was like forget it and took him to Mrs. Wyatt’s, gripping that pancake.

You can’t ask her for anything right now, son,” he says. “You gotta love people enough to let them go, especially when you’re the reason they’re gone.” I can’t say nothing to that either. He pat my shoulder. “Go ’head and get those other bushes planted. I’m gonna check on my collards.” Mr. Wyatt leave me alone with the twigs. It seem as impossible for them to turn into rosebushes as it is for me and Lisa to get back together. I grab one and plant it. Unlike me, the roses deserve a chance. Nine This job is no joke.

I sort through his stuff on the couch. Ma took extra hours at the hotel this weekend, so it’s only me and Li’l Man. He lying in this bouncy seat thing Dre bought. Bugs Bunny got Elmer Fudd looking like a damn fool. Seven real into it, cooing and kicking. “You going to bed soon, man,” I tell him. “You not staying up all night.” I don’t talk to him like he a baby. Nah, I talk to him like I talk to anybody else. He understand it, that’s why he whining now.