Wes Moore > Quotes

“When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were even here.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“I sat back, allowing Wes's words to sink in. Then I responded, "I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Do you think that we're products of our environments? I think so, or maybe products of our expectations. Others' expectations of us or our expectations. I mean others' expectations that you take on as your own. I realize how difficult it is to seperate the two. The expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves.”
― Wes Moore

“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 that not a single moment be wasted.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“The common bond of humanity and decency that we share is stronger than any conflict, any adversity. Fighting for your convictions is important. But finding peace is paramount. Knowing when to fight and when to seek peace is wisdom. Ubuntu was right.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Failing doesn't make us a failure. But not trying to do better, to be better, does make us fools.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“The common bond of humanity and decency that we share is stronger than any conflict, any adversity, any challenge. Fighting for your convictions is important. But finding peace is paramount. Knowing when to fight and when to seek peace is wisdom.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“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.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“I guess it’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“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.”
― Wes Moore

“...I found myself surrounded by people--starting with my mom, grandparents, uncles, and aunts, and leading to a string of wonderful role models and mentors--who kept pushing me to see more than what was directly in front of me, to see the boundless possibilities of the wider world and the unexplored possibilities within myself. People who taught me that no accident of birth--not being black or relatively poor, being from Baltimore or the Bronx or fatherless--would ever define or limit me.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“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.”
― Wes Moore - Bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

“I hear you, but it's not the process you should focus on; it's the joy you will feel after you go through the process.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Service simply means we embrace the possibility of living for more than ourselves.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Later in life I learned that the way many 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.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“When it comes time to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were ever here.”
― Wes Moore - Bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and it’s the rare person who can walk away from what feels like a sure thing.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“But there was a more recent author and public figure whose work spoke to the core of a new set of issues I was struggling with: the Bronx's own Colin Powell. His book, My American Journey, helped me harmonize my understanding of America's history and my aspiration to serve her in uniform. In his autobiography he talked about going to the Woolworth's in Columbus, Georgia, and being able to shop but not eat there. He talked about how black GIs during World War II had more freedoms when stationed in Germany than back in the country they fought for. But he embraced the progress this nation made and the military's role in helping that change to come about. Colin Powell could have been justifiably angry, but he wasn't. He was thankful. I read and reread one section in particular:

The Army was living the democratic ideal ahead of the rest of America. Beginning in the fifties, less discrimination, a truer merit system, and leveler playing fields existed inside the gates of our military posts more than in any Southern city hall or Northern corporation. The Army, therefore, made it easier for me to love my country, with all its flaws, and to serve her with all of my heart." -The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates (p. 131)”
― Moore, Wes, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Poverty is so concentrated because it is generational and, research shows, created with relentless intention.”
― Wes Moore, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City

“The written word isn't necessarily a chore but can be a window into new worlds”
― Wes Moore - Bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

“People tend to confuse determination and positive attitude with false optimism or naiveté.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“...deeper lesson: that the written word isn't necessarily a chore but can be a window into new worlds.”
― Wes Moore

“Wes didn't think Tony was a hypocrite exactly--he knew why his brother felt obliged to warn him off. But it was clear that Tony didn't have any better ideas or he would've made those moves himself.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“As my sister used to eloquently put it, our mother wore sweaters so we could wear coats.”
― Wes Moore

“It made me think deeply about the way privilege and preference work in the world, and how many kids who didn't have 'luck' like mine in this instance would find themselves forever outside the ring of power and prestige.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Fundamentally, this story is about two boys, each of whom was going through his own personal journey and searching for help. One of them received it; the other didn't. And now the world stands witness to the results. Small interactions and effortless acts of kindness can mean the difference between failure and success, pain and pleasure - or becoming the people we loathe or love to become. We are more powerful than we realize, and I urge you to internalize the meaning of this remarkable story and unleash your own power. (Tavis Smiley)”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Fighting for your convictions is important. But finding peace is paramount. Knowing when to fight and when to seek peace is wisdom.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“They would work together, fight together, stay together. An unbreakable bond united the crew - for many members it was the only support system they had. It was family.”
― Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“One thing I began to realize in my travels was that everyone I met who was truly successful—whether in business, in philanthropic work, in human rights, in government, or in raising a family—shared one common trait: they were fanatically passionate about the work they did.”
― Wes Moore, The Work