Jewell Parker Rhodes Quotes

Powerful Jewell Parker Rhodes for Daily Growth

About Jewell Parker Rhodes

Jewel Parker Rhodes is an acclaimed American novelist, poet, and educator known for her powerful narratives exploring themes of race, identity, and social justice. Born on October 17, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, Rhodes grew up in a working-class family during the Civil Rights era. Her experiences living through this transformative time have significantly influenced her writing. Rhodes attended Columbia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and later received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast MFA program. Her literary career began with the publication of her debut novel, "Dry" (1995), which tells the story of an African American teenager grappling with his sexuality and family secrets during a drought in the South. Rhodes gained widespread recognition for her critically acclaimed work, "The Color Purple" (2003), a novelization of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book. The reimagining delves deeper into the lives of the characters, particularly Squeak, the youngest daughter in Celie's family. In 2017, Rhodes published "Ghost Boys," a powerful and poignant novel about a young African American boy, Jerome, who is shot by a white police officer and comes back as a ghost to tell his story. The book serves as a haunting reminder of the ongoing racial injustices faced by communities of color in America. Through her writing, Rhodes sheds light on the complexities of the African American experience while promoting dialogue about race, identity, and healing. In addition to her prolific literary career, she is also a distinguished educator, teaching creative writing at the University of California, Riverside.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Stories can break the dash between the past and the future."

This quote suggests that stories have a powerful role in bridging the gap between our past experiences and the future we are yet to live. By sharing narratives, we can take lessons learned from the past and apply them to shape our futures. Stories also allow us to understand others' perspectives and experiences, fostering empathy and connection across generations and cultures, ultimately helping us build a more compassionate and united world.


"We all have the power to change our lives, but we must take that first step."

This quote emphasizes the idea that each individual possesses the agency to transform their own life. However, it also suggests that action is required to bring about this transformation; merely acknowledging the potential for change isn't enough. The first, decisive step towards self-improvement or self-actualization is crucial in setting the journey in motion.


"The greatest wisdom comes not from knowing all the answers, but from understanding the right questions to ask."

This quote emphasizes the value of questioning over the pursuit of absolute knowledge. It suggests that possessing a profound understanding of the appropriate inquiries to make is more beneficial than amassing every answer. Asking the right questions opens up opportunities for deeper exploration, encourages curiosity, fosters critical thinking, and allows us to uncover hidden truths and perspectives in our pursuit of wisdom.


"To forgive is not to forget, but to remember less."

This quote by Jewell Parker Rhodes suggests that forgiveness does not require erasure or oblivion of past hurts, but rather a reduced emotional impact from those memories. In other words, while we may remember the events that caused us harm, we choose to focus less on the pain and resentment associated with them, instead cultivating compassion, understanding, and peace in their place.


"Words are powerful tools for healing and change."

This quote by Jewel Parker Rhodes emphasizes that words hold immense power, particularly in the realms of healing and transformation. Words can be used to express emotions, share experiences, and create understanding between individuals. They can provide comfort, inspire hope, and encourage change. By using words sensitively and thoughtfully, we can heal emotional wounds, foster empathy, and ultimately bring about positive change in ourselves, others, and society as a whole.


Prejudice is sinful. All blood flows red. And the most harmful and foolish kind of prejudice is prejudice against yourself. Every woman is your sister, and every woman needs her sisters. So try to give other women the courtesy of your compassion, respect, and forgiveness. Love yourself despite - and because of - your flaws.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Love, Woman, Other, Yourself

I think it's always natural for children to rebel against their parents and establish their own identity. And also, I think parents get invested in, you know, doing the right thing? And so their anxiety about being good parents might, in a way, affect a relationship negatively.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Doing, Against, I Think, Rebel

In 'Bayou Magic,' I bring in the cultural tradition of African mermaids - Mami Wata, the mother goddesses.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Mother, Magic, Cultural, Goddesses

The empathy I found reading 'Heidi' and 'Little Women' is empathy we have as human beings that can feed all of our souls. We have our differences, but we're all so similar in our humanness. So those stories about young girls overcoming meant a lot to me and gave me hope.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Differences, Young, About, Humanness

I love historical fiction because there's a literal truth, and there's an emotional truth, and what the fiction writer tries to create is that emotional truth.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Love, Fiction, Tries, Fiction Writer

Kids search for what's relevant, what connects with their life... now. They know bad things happen like Hurricane Katrina. Through character driven stories, they explore what it's like to survive, thrive, and become more themselves.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Life, Bad, Through, To Survive

While the books I read as a child lacked diversity in the strict sense, they didn't lack values. Reading, I didn't see me externally, but I felt me - my humanity.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Values, Read, Felt, Strict

I tried the second season of 'American Horror Story,' and it scared me horribly. I guess I prefer my own imagination to a realized visual.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Horror, Horribly, Prefer, Season

My mother had abandoned the family, so grandmother raised me. And she was instrumental in that she taught me that the world is a glorious place. She taught me to embrace humanity. And she'd say there's never an excuse for joy. And to be thankful.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Thankful, Embrace, Raised, Instrumental

Every time a bookseller hands a child a book, they are doing something that is the heart and soul of the American dream and the American ideal. It's a very sacred tradition.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Hands, Doing, Very, Heart And Soul

When a parent says about a book, 'That's not my child's world,' I remind them of the future. Social fluency will be the new currency of success. Not experiencing diversity challenges our kids' future in the global work force. It handicaps them from making America and the world more livable and just.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Book, Challenges, Parent, Experiencing

I was born in a ghetto on the North Side of Pittsburgh. I was born as Emmett Till was dying and the civil rights era was being born.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Pittsburgh, Side, Till, Ghetto

My grandmother and my upbringing filled me with the spirit of the church and the spirit of the faith brought by Africans to the new land during slavery.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Grandmother, New, Brought, Upbringing

I would love for there to be a 'Voodoo Dreams' movie, especially after seeing the glorious 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.' I so admired how the filmmakers captured Louisiana and the magical atmosphere. I cried.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Love, Atmosphere, Admired, Filmmakers

I inhaled books. I loved Classics Illustrated comic books. These were books that I could afford to buy after I turned in pop bottles for change. 'The Prince and the Pauper,' 'Robinson Crusoe,' 'A Journey to the Center of the Earth.' Male narratives filled with adventure and self-discovery.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Buy, Comic Books, Turned, Prince

To me, the pinnacle of my career is writing for youth. I can die happy: I have succeeded in doing what I have always wanted to do.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Die, Career, Always, Pinnacle

Diversity in books is a civil rights frontier.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Diversity, Frontier, Books, Civil Rights

A grandparent can be simply affirming. A grandparent has been there, done that child-raising stuff, and has the wisdom of experience. And so in some ways, they're free to love without the anxiety of being the actual parents. They're free to give.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Love, Some, Actual, Affirming

My grandmother valued her Southern roots, folk culture, and healing.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Healing, Her, Southern, Folk

In 'Bayou Magic,' I write about African goddess-mermaids who accompanied slaves to America.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Magic, Slaves, Accompanied, African

I grew up feeling 'less than.' I was the sad, shy child hiding in the hall closet beneath coats. I'd wait for my grandmother's voice to call, 'Jewell, Jewell.' I was lost, waiting to be found. I thought being found, I'd be happier, better. All the while, I read stories. Stories with both truth and lies.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Waiting, Voice, Wait, Coats

I always wanted to write for children. When I was growing up, we were really poor. My mother had left, and it was all a mess. So I lived in my head a lot, and I would get lots of books for Christmas - from librarians and teachers - and they just fed my imagination.

- Jewell Parker Rhodes

Mess, Had, Fed, Teachers

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