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Judy Blume Quotes

Judy Blume is an American writer known for children's and young adult fiction. Some of her best known works are Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret , Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing , Deenie , and Blubber . The New Yorker has called her books "talismans that, for a significant segment of the American female population, marked the passage from childhood to adolescence."

Publishing her first novel in 1969, Blume is credited as one of the first authors to write YA novels about topics that some still consider to be taboo. According to Blume, "I wanted to be honest. And I felt that no adult had been honest with me. We didn't have the information we should have had." Blume has received praise for addressing the common, but often unspoken worries of her fans from masturbation and menstruation to teen sex, birth control, and death. This has also led to criticism from individuals and groups that would like to see her books banned. The American Library Association has named Blume as one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century.

Despite her critics, Blume's books have sold over 82 million copies and they've been translated into 32 languages. She has won a number of awards for her writing, including ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to young adult literature. She was recognized as a Library of Congress Living Legend and she was awarded the 2004 National Book Foundation medal for distinguished contribution to American letters.

✵ 12. February 1938
Judy Blume photo

Works

Summer Sisters
Summer Sisters
Judy Blume
Tiger Eyes
Tiger Eyes
Judy Blume
Fudge-a-Mania
Fudge-a-Mania
Judy Blume
Summer Sisters
Summer Sisters
Judy Blume
Tiger Eyes
Tiger Eyes
Judy Blume
Fudge-a-Mania
Fudge-a-Mania
Judy Blume
Judy Blume: 36 quotes3 likes

Famous Judy Blume Quotes

“Precious Child… nothing matters but the moment. There might be no tomorrow and even if there is, nobody gives a damn.”

Judy Blume Summer Sisters

Source: Summer Sisters

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.”

Judy Blume Tiger Eyes

Source: Tiger Eyes

“Our finger prints don't fade from the lives we touch.”

Judy Blume

“She wondered if all the firsts in her life would go by so quickly, and be forgotten just as quickly.”

Judy Blume Summer Sisters

Source: Summer Sisters

Judy Blume Quotes about books

“In this age of censorship, I mourn the loss of books that will never be written, I mourn the voices that will be silenced-writers' voices, teachers' voices, students' voices-and all because of fear.”

Judy Blume

Source: Places I Never Meant To Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers

“The best books come from someplace deep inside…. Become emotionally involved. If you don't care about your characters, your readers won't either.”

Judy Blume

“Censors never go after books unless kids already like them. I don’t even think they know to go after books until they know that children are interested in reading this book, therefore there must be something in it that’s wrong.”

Judy Blume

“It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written.”

Judy Blume

As quoted in Literature for Today's Young Adults (1997) by Kenneth L. Donelson and Alleen Pace Nilsen, p. 392
Context: It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.

Judy Blume Quotes about life

“We are friends for life. When we’re together the years fall away. Isn’t that what matters? To have someone who can remember with you? To have someone who remembers how far you’ve come?”

Judy Blume

“I can't let safety and security become the focus of my life.”

Judy Blume Tiger Eyes

Source: Tiger Eyes

Judy Blume Quotes

“Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear.”

Judy Blume

As quoted in Good Advice (1993) by William Safire, p. 125

“The truth will make you odd.”

Judy Blume

“Not everything has to have a point. Some things just are.”

Judy Blume Summer Sisters

Source: Summer Sisters

“Snoring keeps the monsters away.”

Judy Blume Fudge-a-Mania

Source: Fudge-a-Mania

“some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.”

Judy Blume Tiger Eyes

Source: Tiger Eyes

“You've never been in love," she said. "You don't understand."

"If being in love means giving up your freedom, not to mention your opportunities," Caitlin said, "Then I haven't missed anything.”

Judy Blume Summer Sisters

Source: Summer Sisters

“Like my mother said, you can't go back to holding hands”

Judy Blume

Source: Forever . . .

“you can't deny they ever happened. You can't deny you ever loved them, love them still, even if loving them causes you pain”

Judy Blume

“We must — we must — we must increase our bust!”

Judy Blume

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. (1970)
Source: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

“I love you, Michael Wagner.”

“Forever?” he asked.

“Forever,” I said.”

Judy Blume

Source: Forever . . .

“Fear is often disguised as moral outrage.”

Judy Blume

“Without peanut butter, I might starve.”

Judy Blume

“Suddenly question number four popped into my mind. Have you thought about how this relationship will end?”

Judy Blume

Source: Forever . . .

“What's the point of thinking about how it's going to end when it's just the beginning?”

Judy Blume Summer Sisters

Source: Summer Sisters

“Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret….”

Judy Blume

Repeated line
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. (1970)
Source: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

“It's not so much that I like him as a person God, but as a boy he's very handsome.”

Judy Blume

Source: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

“It's strange, but when it comes right down to it I never do fall apart--even when I'm sure I will.”

Judy Blume

Source: Forever . . .

“Little kids are amazing. They seem able to adjust to anything.”

Judy Blume Tiger Eyes

Source: Tiger Eyes

“But if you aren't any religion, how are you going to know if you should join the Y or the Jewish Community Center?”

Judy Blume

Janie
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. (1970)

“Our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we touch”

Judy Blume

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