A Wish After Midnight Quotes

“I’m not sure which matters more—where the seed comes from, or where it takes root and grows.”
― Zetta Elliott, A Wish After Midnight

“As if they could not believe a black person would dare to defend herself. It’s as if they expect us to just give up without a fight, to let them kill us, as if this is their right.”
― Zetta Elliott, A Wish After Midnight

“And that’s what love does, it wipes out all the messy parts so you can see the picture clear.”
― Zetta Elliott, A Wish After Midnight

“Jesus, Lord,” he whispers to the stars, “where do white folks come from?” Esther sidles up behind him, her itching fists pressed into her narrow hips. “Same place they goin’ back to. Wish I could be there to watch ’em burn, but I’ll be with the righteous. God help ’em come Judgment Day.”
― Zetta Elliott, A Wish After Midnight

“The tenants' association broke up, and nobody else bothered trying to make our building look good. What's the point? You can't do nothing when the folks around you just don't care.

Mama says people who have nothing of their own don't know how to take care of other people's things. Maybe that's so. I think people are just selfish. They got no problem making a mess of the train or the schoolyard of this building, but they wouldn't scribble on the walls or throw trash all over their own apartment. Mama says, don't be so sure.

I think sometimes people want to own something so bad that they just can't help themselves. I know kids at school who carry markers with them wherever they go just so they can leave their tag someplace. To show that they've been there, or maybe to pretend that that space is theirs.”
― Zetta Elliott, A Wish After Midnight