Mark T. Sneed > Quotes

“In space and on Mars the explorers seemed to unconsciously duplicate the problems found on Earth.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“Okay,” said Oggy. “What did they mean by asking you about being an afronaut?”
Beaumont frowned at the statement. “We’re in space and things have not changed that drastically from two hundred years ago.” The old vet paused. “We are in space and we,” he said lifting his hand and showing it to Oggy. The boy smirked. “We, are the workers, the laborers. They,” Beaumont said, raising his chin in the direction of the three men on the opposite side of the compartment. “They, are the bosses, the managers. So, in this power structure they found a way to label us.”
“We are afronauts,” Zuzu said with a disgusted look and a finger pointing to her hair. “They are astronauts.”
“That don’t sound right,” said Oggy.
“Right or wrong, it is what it is,” Beaumont said.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“Just curious what brought you to our fair city, today,” the taller officer said, handing Rome back his papers.
“Do you ask everyone that comes to your fair city why they are visiting,” I asked, feeling anger rising in me. “Or did you decide that we didn’t seem to fit in your fair city?”
“What’s your name, young man?”
“Why?” I asked.
“Again, because I asked.”
“I am a minor. I was taught by my mother not to give my name to people I don’t know,” I said. I added, “If you want to know my name you can call my mother and talk to her. I am sure she would want to know why you, officer Roberts, decided to harass me and my friends on a Saturday afternoon in Half Moon Bay.”

Excerpt From
JUST ONE MO
Mark T. Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Just One Mo

“You are the much talked about afronaut leisure class,” said the mustached and shifty eyed third stranger with a knowing smile. “Were you injured?”
“What is an afronaut?” Oggy asked his sister, in a whisper. Zuzu shushed Oggy. Beaumont gave his nephew a cold side eye.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“What I don’t understand is why no one in the Remains seems to bat an eye at the fact that Innovators chose not to participate.”
“Rich people have options. We don’t,” Tee screeched.
“Don’t seem fair.”
“A lot of things ain’t fair. You ain’t no baby, Jax. You know that already.”
“I know that, but I figured that in the Remains there was supposed to be,” he paused, thinking of the right words. Jax twisted his lips on his face. “Fairness.”
“You ain’t that stupid,” Tee laughed.
“What you mean?”
“Ain’t nothing fair,” Tee pointed out. “We live in the Remains and there is a tenth of the world population in space heading for God knows where. They put in plans long before the flash. Right? They are heading toward...trying to terraform planets but we aren’t in the loop. We didn’t get no choice in that. That wasn’t fair. Why ain’t you talking about that?” Tee said, moving her head left to right and poking out her lips.”

Excerpt From
Libro 1
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Bully Nation: The Remains: Part One

“The Martian history was not too different from that on Earth. The only exception was that people left the satellites and went to the surface of Mars and eventually after extensive construction found their way under a dozen domes on the red surface of the red planet. There, in the constructed safety of a domed environment the new Martians began to pollute and poison Mars as they had Earth. Garbage was a real problem. The consumption of foodstuffs created waste.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“How do you do your dealings with all these... notorious individuals and their shenanigans with their less than legitimate business dealings?” McGee asked. “I just don’t see how this,” McGee waved to the cantina. “I don’t get how this works without bloodshed?”
“It works because, despite what the IGF and media wants to suggest, most criminals are not hiding in the shadows or lurking in dark corners. They are where people are. The most populated area in the six-planet area is controlled by IGF and the Gee Force. The bad guys ain't going to be found in deep space. So, the “criminals” return to the six-planet areas and need a safe haven and place where they can do their business with a fair hand,” the short, cropped hair man said as they entered the cantina and the space where dozens of tables were filled with men and women space adventurers, explorers, pirates, freebooters, and the like drinking, gambling, talking, eating, and snickering about things. “They come here.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“There is no instant anything. Overnight success is a lie. That lie is just one of many lies that youth want to believe, even though it’s not true. No one walks onto the field and dominates on the first day. That is not possible. Popularity, fame, riches are illusions. Being popular is short-lived. Fame is here today and gone tomorrow. Riches diminish. Being reliable, consistent, trustworthy those are things that people remember.”

Excerpt From
Bully Nation
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Bully Nation: The Remains: Part One

“Is high school hard?”
“Why you asking?”
“I’m just curious,” Lay said honestly. “It seems like everyone wants to hurry up and get there, but at the same time they don’t want to go.”

Excerpt From
ebook
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, The Chase

“Mister Pope continued, “Now there are cliffs on both coasts. There’s an ocean on either coast. I mean, you are a bird. You aren’t the smartest creature on earth. Now, you, silly bird, find yourself the only bird like you on the west coast. No Valentine’s Day for you.”
Hands went up.
“How did it get here?” Sidney Tucker asked from behind her oversized glasses.
“No one knows,” Mister Pope smiled.
“How come no one knows,” Kevin Abbott asked.
“Well, there are a bunch of theories, but no one can be certain,” Mister Pope said.
“So, there’s only one of these birds on the west coast right now,” Wendy Henderson asked.”

Excerpt From
JUST ONE MO
Mark T. Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Just One Mo

“There is no instant anything. Overnight success is a lie. That lie is just one of many lies that youth want to believe, even though it’s not true. No one walks onto the field and dominates on the first day. That is not possible. Popularity, fame, riches are illusions. Being popular is short-lived. Fame is here today and gone tomorrow. Riches diminish. Being reliable, consistent, trustworthy those are things that people remember.”

Excerpt From
Libro 1
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed

“In advisory Mister Pope decided to explain the significance of Valentine’s Day with the story of wayward bird.
Rarely did Mister Pope spend any real amount of time in front of the advisory class, but that week, a few days before the Valentine’s Day dance he told a slightly familiar Valentine’s Day story.
“Okay, imagine you are a bird. You love being a bird. I mean, it’s a pretty good life. You wake. You hunt for food. You sleep. You wake up. You eat some more. That’s your life until you become old enough to start having urges.” Pope paused. The boys elbowed each other. The girls shook their heads. “Hold on, here’s my Valentine’s Day problem. Imagine you are this bird, with urges, and you find yourself the only species of your kind suddenly somewhere else. Things are familiar because there are cliffs and fish and food and other birds, but no one that looks like you. You may have been thinking you were imagining things and then you realize something is wrong.”
Mister Pope clicked a button and, on the screen, flashed a bird flying along the cliffside. It immediately looked like a seagull, but at the[…]”

Excerpt From
JUST ONE MO
Mark T. Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Just One Mo

“Justice was swift and unbending in space”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“I don’t know nobody that will tell you that they were unhappy trying to be great. Mistakes define us, son. Hell, boy, we all are made from our mistakes. When I talk to people, they never tell me that they regretted trying.” The saxophonist paused. “They will tell me that they wished that they had more time or that they had tried something that they were’re scared of.”

Excerpt From
Nothing Simple or Easy
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Nothing Simple or Easy

“What we talking about is making a difference. The problem is that we get this crazy idea that what we see in Oakland is everywhere, but it ain’t,” I said. “Life ain’t Gee Dub. Life is what is going on at all those white private schools with the three black teachers and six black custodians and security guards.” I felt my anger growing. “But the only way to change things is to prove their ignorance and racism is wrong.”
“How?”
I didn’t answer for a long moment.
“We cannot let them scare us into just being athletes, entertainers and drug dealers,” I said. “We can be so much more.” I tried to think of the right words. “Remember when we talked about the Bill Gates Millenium Award and y'all said you were going to apply. You should. We should. They have limited our dreams. They have lowered our expectations. One of you could be the first, but that ain’t gonna happen if we don’t try. We can’t knock down the doors that are locked and barred for us without one of us having the key to those locks.”

Excerpt From
JUST ONE MO
Mark T. Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Just One Mo

“As I told you, I ain’t your mom or your dad. I’m your uncle,” Beaumont said. “I ain’t going to babysit you or your sister. I ain’t got time for that or your foolishness. We are nowhere near Mars, and I can’t just drop you off when you act up. You have to respect me and trust me. In that order. Otherwise, we are going to butt heads again and again until you learn that I’m not to be played with or we find your mom.” Beaumont took a breath and studied his niece and nephew. “You get me?”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“The goal of education, to me, is to challenge, question, educate and reveal. You, and everyone, should have beliefs but you should hold them so sacred as not to be willing to consider a new thought.”

Excerpt From
Onto a Sea of Stars
Mark Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Onto a Sea of Stars: The Adventures of Christian Drake and The Unintentional Space Pirates

“The only reason Kate had run afoul of the law was because she had shot a white man. The rules were different for them. They could shoot and kill almost anyone and suffer little to no consequences. Yet, if a black, Hispanic, Indian or anyone not white harmed them all the weight of the white judicial system came tumbling down on the heads of those criminals.”

Excerpt From
Peace Quiet and a Little Justice in the Territories
Mark T. Sneed
This material may be protected by copyright.”
― Mark T. Sneed, Peace, Quiet and a Little Justice in a Lawless Territory