K. A. Applegate Quotes

Powerful K. A. Applegate for Daily Growth

About K. A. Applegate

**Kathleen Anna Applegate**, born on April 16, 1954, in Los Angeles, California, is a prolific American author of children's literature, particularly noted for her Animorphs series. Applegate grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and developed an early love for storytelling. She studied at the University of Colorado, Boulder, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 1976. Her professional writing journey began with publishing short stories and articles for children's magazines before moving on to longer works. Her first novel, "Home of the Brave," published in 1998, won the prestigious Newbery Medal for its portrayal of a young boy struggling with anxiety and loneliness after moving from the city to rural Wisconsin. In 1996, Applegate embarked on one of her most significant works: the Animorphs series. This science fiction epic, co-authored with her husband Michael Grant, follows a group of teenagers who discover that aliens have taken over Earth and transform into animals to fight back. The series ran from 1996 to 2019, spanning 54 books and selling millions of copies worldwide. Applegate's works often reflect her deep concern for environmental issues and the well-being of animals, themes that are particularly evident in her Endling series and the Remnants trilogy. Her writing is characterized by compelling characters, intricate plots, and a keen understanding of the complexities of adolescence. Applegate's influence on children's literature continues to grow as she expands her narrative universe with each new story. Her work serves as a testament to the power of imagination and the importance of empathy in shaping our world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Change is a part of life. You're either growing or you're dying."

This quote emphasizes that change is an inherent aspect of life, and it is through change and growth that living beings persist and evolve. In essence, either an organism, community, or system undergoes positive development (growth), or it fails to adapt and eventually ceases to exist (dying). This insightful perspective encourages the acceptance and embracement of change as a vital and necessary process for survival and progress.


"Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate."

This quote underscores the transient nature of friendships compared to the cumulative impact of enemies or adversaries in one's life. It suggests that while we may gain and lose friends as circumstances change, our encounters with those who pose a threat or challenge us tend to add up over time, making them more enduring and influential factors in our lives. It serves as a reminder to be mindful of the people who consistently cause harm, and to prioritize nurturing positive relationships instead.


"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."

This quote by K.A. Applegate suggests that the most effective way to determine if someone is trustworthy is to extend trust towards them first, acting as a test of their reliability. The underlying idea is that genuine trustworthiness will be demonstrated through consistent actions, thereby validating the initial decision to trust. Conversely, if one refuses to trust due to skepticism or hesitation, they may miss out on building meaningful relationships and opportunities for growth with others.


"It's not our job to make sense of the world, just to live in it."

This quote by K.A. Applegate suggests that we, as individuals, do not have a responsibility to understand or rationalize the complexities of the world around us. Instead, the focus should be on living within it - embracing its mysteries, challenges, and joys without necessarily needing a comprehensive explanation for everything. This perspective encourages a more adaptive and resilient approach to life, acknowledging that understanding may not always be attainable but survival and personal growth can still occur.


"Never give up on people who have given up on themselves."

This quote emphasizes the importance of empathy, patience, and belief in others, especially when they have lost faith in themselves. It encourages us to continue supporting those who are struggling, even if they seem to have abandoned hope for their own well-being. By refusing to give up on them, we offer a beacon of light and help foster the resilience needed for self-discovery and personal growth. This quote underscores that our support can be instrumental in helping individuals regain their self-worth and confidence.


One of the reasons I love writing for middle graders, besides their voracious appetite for books, is their deep concern for fairness and morality.

- K. A. Applegate

Love, Deep, Fairness, Voracious

When I was a child, going to a circus with wild animal acts was a rite of passage. These days, it's an act of complicit cruelty.

- K. A. Applegate

Cruelty, Passage, Complicit, Wild Animal

What do we lose without wild animal acts at the circus? Absolutely nothing, except the opportunity to be haunted and heartbroken.

- K. A. Applegate

Lose, Absolutely Nothing, Wild Animal

I hate to witness animals in captivity - or see circus elephants paraded down the streets. When animals are caged, it's a loss of what they are.

- K. A. Applegate

Streets, Caged, Captivity, Elephants

We know about the socially complex lives of elephants: how they communicate, how they bond, how they even seem to grieve. We have ethologists in the field and activists on the ground to thank for that knowledge.

- K. A. Applegate

Communicate, Lives, Socially, Elephants

That penetrating gaze, that intelligence; it's hard not to be anthropomorphic when you're looking at a great ape - at any primate - but especially with gorillas. They're just so magnificent.

- K. A. Applegate

Magnificent, Penetrating, Ape

I grew up in an affluent suburban world and never worried about money until I'd grown up and found wonderfully original ways to screw up my life.

- K. A. Applegate

My Life, Original, Affluent, Screw

Stan is a rescue Chihuahua mix. He was the role model for Bob, the dog in 'Ivan.' The drawings in the book look precisely like Stan.

- K. A. Applegate

Role Model, Role, Like, Stan

I tend to write short, brief snippets - I lean toward the chamber music end as opposed to the symphony end of things.

- K. A. Applegate

Brief, Opposed, Tend, Symphony

I live in a high-rise apartment building, so I just have two cats. They're both pound kitties. One of them, Dick, is an evil, foot-biting cat. When I write a tiger morph, I'm always imagining Dick.

- K. A. Applegate

Building, Two, I Write, Pound

I was writing at a really young age, but it took me a long time to be brave enough to become a published writer, or to try to become a published writer. It's a very public way to fail. And I was kind of scared, so I started out as a ghost writer, and I wrote for other series, like Disney 'Aladdin' and 'Sweet Valley' and books like that.

- K. A. Applegate

Young, Other, Very, Scared

I really love writing, but I am very easily distracted: my two cats fighting, a rainbow, a TV show... I have to use every trick to keep myself at the computer.

- K. A. Applegate

Love, Very, TV, Distracted

One of my first paid gigs was writing psychology quizzes for 'YM,' a monthly teen magazine like 'Seventeen.'

- K. A. Applegate

Teen, Psychology, Like, Seventeen

I was sure I wanted to grow up to be either a veterinarian or a writer. In fact, I worked for a vet during high school, doing everything from cleaning cages to assisting in surgery.

- K. A. Applegate

Cleaning, Doing, Assisting, Surgery

When we have financial struggles, kids are so much more aware of things than we want them to be.

- K. A. Applegate

Financial, Want, More, Struggles

I think most writers will say that at the start of each book they think, 'I'm not sure I can do this.' But eventually, you reach a magical point where the story suddenly becomes real to you, and you become totally invested in it.

- K. A. Applegate

Book, Reach, I Think, Invested

I think having imaginary friends is an amazing coping mechanism. It's pretty wonderful, and it makes a lot of sense to me.

- K. A. Applegate

Think, Pretty, I Think, Coping

I think all writers write from the time they're really young, and you just start asking the question, 'What if?'

- K. A. Applegate

Think, Question, I Think, What If

I think younger readers connect so readily to animal characters because they share a certain vulnerability, particularly when it comes to adult humans, who can be a rather unpredictable lot.

- K. A. Applegate

Think, I Think, Particularly, Readers

I grew up with a menagerie of dogs, cats, gerbils - not to mention three younger siblings.

- K. A. Applegate

Cats, Dogs, Younger, Sibling

Hunger and homelessness aren't things we always want to talk about.

- K. A. Applegate

Want, Always, Things, Homelessness

I think we have a real obligation when we do have animals in captivity to understand their needs and to care for them as well as we can.

- K. A. Applegate

Think, Needs, I Think, Captivity

It occurred to me that a food drive would be a natural way to talk to kids about hunger, which so many of them simply aren't aware of.

- K. A. Applegate

Natural, Which, Occurred, Hunger

I love any excuse to come to New York - when it's not February.

- K. A. Applegate

Love, New, I Love, February

I think I was 9, and my mom ordered them for me from a catalogue. They bred like crazy, and I was selling gerbils all around Michigan. They wrote a story about me in the local newspaper.

- K. A. Applegate

Think, Newspaper, Bred, Ordered

At the end of the day, I'd love to see children stop begging their parents to go to the circus. That's what would make me most happy.

- K. A. Applegate

Love, Happy, Begging, Circus

As a species, we can at times be dimwitted and cruel. But we're also capable of learning.

- K. A. Applegate

Times, Species, Also, Cruel

Gorillas may seem terrifying because of their bodies, but they are really magnificent and very gentle.

- K. A. Applegate

May, Very, Terrifying, Gentle

I've got to believe I'm the first person to win the Newbery who has written a Harlequin romance!

- K. A. Applegate

Believe, Person, Written, Romance

I hope kids feel gratitude for what they do have.

- K. A. Applegate

Hope, Feel, Kids, Gratitude

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.