I was writing since I can remember – I just didn’t know it was poetry yet, or that writing could be a career.

You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.

The oration of poetry, I consider to be its own art form and tradition.

If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.

Poetry and language are often at the heartbeat of movements for change.

Always remember that
What happened to us
Happened through us.

What’s really funny about being National Youth Poet Laureate is that not everyone even knows it exists.

To love one another just may be the fight of our lives.

You’re the one who is weak. You will never know love or friendship. And I feel sorry for you.

The good you find in others is a reflection of the good that is in yourself.

You should not judge; you should understand.

Our scars are the brightest parts of us.

Goodness can be found sometimes in the middle of hell.

In this truth, in this faith, we trust.
For while we have our eyes on the future,
History has its eyes on us.

Empathy means understanding others on their own terms and bringing them into the orbit of one’s own experience.

Change is made of choices, & choices are made of character.