Sometimes it didn't matter how much gumption you had. What mattered were the cards you'd been dealt.
Jeannette WallsTags: truth slice-of-life turn-of-the-century-texas
I felt there was a lot I needed to teach her. I wanted to give her an early grounding in the basics of arithmetic and reading, but even more important, I wanted to get across the idea that the world was a dangerous place and life was unpredictable and you had to be smart, focused, and determined to make it through. You had to be willing to work hard and persevere in the face of misfortune. A lot of people, even those born with brains and beauty, didn't have what it took to knuckle down and get the thing done.
Jeannette WallsYou know you're down and out when Okies laugh at you,' she said. With our garbage bag taped window, our tied down hood, and art supplies strapped to the roof, we'd out-Okied the Okies.
Jeannette WallsTags: poor oklahoma down-and-out
If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, Mom always said, just watch the sunrise.
And if you want to be reminded of the wrath of the Lord, Dad said, watch a tornado.
It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.
Jeannette WallsTags: inspirational beautiful meaningful symbolic
History gets written by the winners, he said, and when the crooks win, you get crooked history.
Jeannette WallsEvery household needs one piece of furniture in really bad taste.
Jeannette WallsYou were free to choose enslavement, but the choice was a free one only if you knew what your alternatives were.
Jeannette WallsBut the positive thoughts would give way to negative thoughts, and the negative thoughts seemed to swoop into her mind the way a big flock of black crows takes over the landscape, sitting thick in the trees and on the fence rails and lawns, staring at you in ominous silence.
Jeannette WallsDad's death didn't hollow me out the way Helen's had. After all, everyone had assumed Dad was a goner back when he got kicked in the head as a child. Instead, he had cheated death and, despite his gimp and speech impediment, lived a long life doing pretty much what he wanted. He hadn't drawn the best of cards, but he'd played his hand darned well, so what was there to grieve over?
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