86 Quotes by Wes Moore

We’re not products of our environments, we’re products of our expectations.

Life’s impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It’s what shapes our time here. It’s what makes it so important than not a single moment be wasted.

My mother is extraordinary; she’s a superwoman, like so many other single mothers who are out there.

I realized then how difficult it is to separate the two. The expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves.

Failing doesn’t make us a failure. But not trying to do better, to be better, does make us fools.

I learned that the way governors projected the numbers of beds they’d need for prison facilities was by examining the reading scores of third graders. Elected officials deduced that a strong percentage of kids reading below their grade level by third grade would be needing a secure place to stay when they got older.

Maybe the question isn’t “What do I want to do with my life?” but “Who do I want to be? What contribution do I want to make?” It’s not even all about altruism. It’s also about living the life that keeps you interested and engaged and passionate – and that leaves you feeling fulfilled. When.

Our adult lives begin with a first moment of stillness. We leave school and there’s no next grade to go to, no one to tell us how to spend our time – we are faced with an intimidating absence of inevitable next steps. Possibilities and choices suddenly abound. And for a lot of us it’s terrifying.

And I spent a lot of time hurting people who loved me just so I could impress people who didn’t even care about me.