Kwame Alexander Quotes & Sayings

You love me? Like summer loves short nights. Get a checkup, then. Only cure I need is you. I'm serious about this, Chuck. Only doctor I need is Dr. Crystal Bell. Now come here . . . And then there is silence, so I put the pillow over my head because when they stop talking, I know what that means. Uggghh! — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #4

If you miss
enough of life's
free throws
you will pay
in the end. — Kwame Alexander

Identical twins
are no different
from everyone else,
except we look and
sometimes sound
exactly alike. — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #1

In this game of life
your family is the court
and the ball is your heart.
No matter how good you are,
no matter how down you get,
always leave
your heart
on the court. — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #9

When the game is on
the line,
don't fear.
Grab the ball.
Take it
to the hoop. — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #5
When
you stop
playing
your game
you've already
lost. — Kwame Alexander

Find your grit and put in the work to elevate your game. Champions train. Chumps complain. — Kwame Alexander

Never let anyone lower your goals. Others' expectations of you are determined by their limitations of life. The sky is your limit, sons. Always shoot for the sun and you will shine. — Kwame Alexander

We all have what it takes to do exactly what we want to do in life, no matter what anyone else says. If someone tells you, "You can't do this because you are [fill in the blank]," I say embrace the challenge. Wear it like a new pair of Converse or Jordans. Meet it head-on. — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #6
A great team
has a good scorer
with a teammate
who's on point
and ready
to assist. — Kwame Alexander

Because Dad told you he'd be here forever.
Because I thought forever was like Mars -- far away. — Kwame Alexander

Bullies don't like to fight, son. They like to win. Being afraid is normal. The only fight you really have to win is the one against the fear. — Kwame Alexander

tricks are for kids, — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #2 (random text from Dad)
Hustle dig
Grind push
Run fast
Change pivot
Chase pull
Aim shoot
Work smart
Live smarter
Play hard
Practice harder — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #7

Rebounding
is the art
of anticipating,
of always being prepared
to grab it.
But you can't
drop the ball. — Kwame Alexander

Thought
It does not take
a math genius
to understand that
when you subtract
a mother
from the equation
what remains
is negative. — Kwame Alexander

Did y'all arrest Uncle Bob's turkey? It was just criminal what he did to that bird, wasn't it? You — Kwame Alexander

You can get used to things going well, but you're never prepared for something going wrong. — Kwame Alexander

The poems
were cool.

The best ones were
like bombs,
and when all the right words

came together
it was like an explosion. — Kwame Alexander

Books are fun, Nicholas, he says,
they're like
amusement parks
for readers.

Yeah, well, maybe
they would be fun
if I got to pick
the rides
sometimes, you answer — Kwame Alexander

Basketball Rule #10

A loss is inevitable,
like snow in winter.
True champions
learn
to dance
through
the storm. — Kwame Alexander