Benjamin Zephaniah > Quotes

“This planet is for everyone, borders are for no one. It's all about freedom.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“ Now The Head Lines


How do you like your truth?
Gently spoken on breakfast TV
By a man and a woman who sit comfortably
Saying riots, and murder, when will it end?
As they struggle to act as if they are good friends.

How do you like your truth?
Bite-sized in sound bites cut easy to chew, With a talking head saying the victim's like you
And when you've digested the horrors you've seen
You find good, you find evil, and no in-between.

How do you like your truth?
Fantastic, sensational, printed in bold,
Today it's exclusive, tomorrow it's old,
All on the surface with nothin too deep
With a story about animals to help you to sleep

How do you like your youth?
From perfect families with parents thet care,
Or in perfect families but still in despair,
Ten out of ten parents say they'd not choose
To have bad kids like those in the news.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead: Nelson Thornes Page Turners

“Don't give me truth, just give me gossip
And skeletons from people's closets,
I wanna be normal
And millions buy it,
I am blinded by The SUN.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“Living rooms are arranged around the TV, but when you take away the box you have the freedom to arrange the room to suit yourself.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead

“My name is Alem Kelo. I live with the Fitzgeralds, my foster family, at 202 Meanly Road, Manor Park, London. I have also lived in Ethiopia and Eritrea. I have spent a few nights in a hotel in Datchet, one night in a children’s home in Reading, and for a short while I stayed in a hotel in Forest Gate, which was a bit rough. I have stayed in all these places in the last year. To be really honest I would prefer to live in Africa with my mother and my father but they have both been killed and there is war in my country. Things are very hard for me. Look at me, look at all the things that I am capable of, and think of all the things you could call me – a student, a lover of literature, a budding architect,”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“real men cry, real men have feelings.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“School was preparation for the future... and he had no intention to go into the future unprepared.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“martin learnt quickly to take every day as it came and never expect one day to be the same as the last”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Face

“I think they had something to do with the killing of Mr. Joseph, miss."

She laughed, as all adults seem to do when they don't believe something.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead: Nelson Thornes Page Turners

“A few years ago if yu said yu were Green
Yu were really seen as Red.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“Listen, geezer,”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“Nothing is as it seems. Seeing is not believing. Sometimes... you have to feel, touch, experience... and use your intelligence.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah

“But Robert, don’t you think it’s a bit cold to just hang out? If we hang out for long enough we will freeze.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“know what I must do, Father,’ he said, still looking into his father’s eyes. ‘I must represent Mother’s ideas, I should promote her dream.’ His father smiled. ‘You got it, young man! You do that and that will mean that she lives. Now,’ he said, standing up, ‘I’m told that I will get some financial help next week. My money is running out but I have enough to get some food for the time being. So let’s go shopping.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“˜ Life After Death”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy: 'Courageously humorous ... and heartbreaking' Guardian

“De young an old are doing it I have a rappin mudder
Everybody has dere rap so let's rap to each other
No matter what yu style or de hat dat yu are wearing
Yu can even get away wida little swearing,
Fuck.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“When I say Too Black, Too Strong, I mean unity is strength I mean "true" free speech, I mean no justice, no peace.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“Babies are buried under floors
In a church behind closed doors
I don't know de bloody cause
Wot has dat gotta do wid me?”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“I have learnt that equality
May not mean freedom.
And freedom
May not mean liberation,
You can vote my friend
And have no democracy.
Being together dear neighbour
May not mean unity,
Your oppressors may give you chances
But no opportunities.
And the state that you are in
May have its state security
Yet you may be stateless
Without protection”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“I'd like there to be a revolution, but everybody's too busy shopping.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, I'm an Anarchist because I've been wronged, and I've seen everything else fail

“The death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us
That we cannot let the illusion of freedom
Endow us with a false sense of security as we walk the streets,”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“I used to go on demonstrations
Now me feet can't tek de pace,
I`ve tried be a vegan
But there's egg upon me face,
My last stand was de Miners Strike
I did de cop patrol,
Now it's central heating dat I like
An I juss don't need no coal”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“And we continue to ask ourselves
Why is it so official
That black people are so often killed
Without killers?”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“Why should you worry yourself?
You cannot change a single thing
All you gotta do is tek wot you can get,
Why should you worry yourself?
Try hard an you will die trying
Wot can any of us do about Tibet?”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“Nobody knew what to think or do. The tea ritual was now useful because it meant that something was happening in the room.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“Because the death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us that racism is easy when
You have friends in high places
And friends in high places
Have no use whatsoever
When they are not your friends.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“The death of Stephen Lawrence
Has taught us to love each other
And never to take the tedious task
Of waiting for a bus for granted.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“It is now an open secret
Black people do not have
Chips on their shoulders,
They just have injustice on their backs
And justice on their minds,
And now we know that the road to liberty
Is as long as the road from slavery.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“I juss wanna live my life mate
So juss leave me alone
Why should I fight de state?
When I'm trying to buy my home,
I juss wanna earn my bread guy
An feed my family
You may starve and you may die
But wot has dat gotta do wid me?”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Too Black Too Strong

“Fuck power, and let's just take care of each other.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, I'm an Anarchist because I've been wronged, and I've seen everything else fail