Percival Everett Quotes

We're slaves. We're not anywhere. Free person, he can be where he wants to be. The only place we can ever be is in slavery.

- You know, dull tools are much more dangerous than sharp ones.
- I paused to admire his metaphor, but he continued.

It's okay to love something bigger than yourself without fearing it. Anything worth loving is bigger than we are anyway.

You should know I consider police shootings to be lynchings

The children said together, “And the better they feel, the safer we are.” “February, translate that.” “Da mo’ betta dey feels, da mo’ safer we be.” “Nice.

I chose the word enemy, and still do, as oppressor necessarily supposes a victim.

I considered the northern white stance against slavery. How much of the desire to end the institution was fueled by a need to quell and subdue white guilt and pain? Was it just too much to watch? Did it offend Christian sensibilities to live in a society that allowed that practice? I knew that whatever the cause of their war, freeing slaves was an incidental premise and would be an incidental result.

The world demands that you introduce yourself twice, first as you are, and second as you are told to be.

Linda Mallory is the postmodern fuck.

To fight in a war,' he said. 'Can you imagine?'

'Would that mean facing death every day and doing what other people tell you to do?' I asked.

'I reckon.'

'Yes, Huck. I can imagine.

I saw the surface of her, merely the outer shell, and realized that she was mere surface all the way to her core.

I am a sign. I am your future. I am James.

Why are people so fucked up?” I asked
“Maybe you do need college, Poiter,” Everett said. “You want to know why people are so fucked up? Son, that’s about the only question I can answer with even a small measure of authority. It’s because they’re people. People, my friend, are worse than anybody.

With my pencil, I wrote myself into being.

"When you step on the gas, do it gently, softly, slowly. Okay? All right, let's try it again. Gently. Treat it like you would a woman."
"I would never step on a woman."