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Suzanne Collins Quotes
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Suzanne Collins is an American television writer and author. She is known as the author of The New York Times best-selling series The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games trilogy.



Wikipedia  

✵ 10. August 1962
Suzanne Collins photo
Suzanne Collins: 554   quotes 22   likes

Suzanne Collins Quotes

“What's going on down there, Katniss? Have they all joined hands? Taken a vow of nonviolence? Tossed the weapons in the sea in defiance of the Capitol?" Finnick asks.
"No," I say.
"No," Finnick repeats. "Because whatever happened in the past is in the past. And no one in this arena was a victor by chance.”

Suzanne Collins

He eyes Peeta for a moment. "Except maybe Peeta."
Finnick Odair and Katniss, pp. 276-277
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Chance , Past , Sea

“It's like being home again, when they bring in the hopelessly mangled person from the mine explosion, or the woman in her third day of labor, or the famished child struggling against pneumonia and my mother and Prim, they wear that same look on their faces. Now is the times to run away tho the woods, to hide in the trees until the patient is long gone and in another part of the Seam the hammers make the coffin. But I'm held here both by the hovercraft walls and the same force that holds the loved ones of the dying. How often I've seen them, ringed around our kitchen table and I thought, Why don't they leave? Why do they stay to watch?
And now I know. It's because you have no choice.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen, pp. 347-348
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)

Love , Home , Tree , Time

“Katniss," Gale says softly. I recognize that voice. It's the same one he uses to approach wounded animals before he delivers a deathblow. I instinctively raise my hand to block his words but he catches it and holds on tightly. "Don't," I whisper. But Gale is not one to keep secrets from me. "Katniss, there is no District Twelve.”

Suzanne Collins

Gale to Katniss, p. 391 (closing words)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Secret , Animals

“BEWARE UNDERLANDERS, TIME HANGS BY A THREAD, THE HUNTERS ARE HUNTED, WHITE WATER RUNS RED. THE GNAWERS WILL STRIKE TO EXTINGUISH THE REST. THE HOPE OF THE HOPELESS RESIDES IN A QUEST.”

Suzanne Collins The Underland Chronicles

The Prophecy of Grey, p. 108
The Underland Chronicles, Gregor the Overlander (2003)

Hope , Water , Time

“A shiver goes through me when I think of the proximity of my mother and sister to this man who despises me. Will always despise me. Because I outsmarted his sadistic Hunger Games, made the Capitol look foolish, and consequently undermined his control.
All I was doing was trying to keep myself and Peeta alive. Any act of rebellion was purely coincidental. But when the Capitol decrees that only one tribute can live and you have the audacity to challenge it, I guess that’s a rebellion in itself.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen, p. 18
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Hunger , Game , Thinking , Sister

“She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.”

Suzanne Collins

Source: The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008), p. 3

Dreams

“It was the waste of a trip. She's not here," I tell him. Buttercup hisses again. "She's not here. You can hiss all you like. You won't find Prim." At her name, he perks up. Raises his flattened ears. Begins to meow hopefully. "Get out!" He dodges the pillow I throw at him. "Go away! There's nothing left for you here!" I start to shake, furious with him. "She's not coming back! She's never ever coming back here again!" I grab another pillow and get to my feet to improve my aim. Out of nowhere, the tears begin to pour down my cheeks. "She's dead." I clutch my middle to dull the pain. Sink down on my heels, rocking the pillow, crying. "She's dead, you stupid cat. She's dead.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss and Buttercup (p. 386)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Pain , Stupidity , Cats , Tear

“If you think back, my comments were very open to interpretation. And you happen to be easily misled. As for the queen, who is difficult to lead anywhere… I have always been and intend to be entirely straightforward.”

Suzanne Collins The Underland Chronicles

Ripred, p. 247
The Underland Chronicles, Gregor and the Marks of Secret (2006)

Thinking

“It's better than hunting them down in the jungle, anyway. And I doubt they'll figure out our plan, since we can barely understand it ourselves.”

Suzanne Collins

Johanna Mason, p. 361
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Understanding

“"Come on," says Cato. He thrusts a spear into the hands of the boy from District 3, and they head off in the direction of the fire. The last thing I hear as they enter the woods is Cato saying, "When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes."
Somehow I don't think he's talking about Rue. She didn't drop a nest of tracker jackers on him.”

Suzanne Collins

Cato, p. 217
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)

Way , Boy , Thinking

“"So, what brings the Children's Crusade into the Firelands? I don't flatter myself you were looking for me." "We got lost on a picnic."”

Suzanne Collins The Underland Chronicles

Ripred and Luxa, p. 247
The Underland Chronicles, Gregor and the Marks of Secret (2006)

Children

“"I think we'll make this whole situation a lot simpler by agreeing not to lie to each other," he says. "What do you think?"
I think my tongue has frozen and speech will be impossible, so I surprise myself by answering back in a steady voice, "Yes, I think that would save time."”

Suzanne Collins

President Snow and Katniss Everdeen, p. 19
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Lie , Thinking , Time

“You know, where I come from, we don't think much of someone who sneaks up and stabs a person in their sleep.”

Suzanne Collins The Underland Chronicles

Gregor, p. 239
The Underland Chronicles, Gregor the Overlander (2003)

Thinking , Sleep , Personality

“Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you.".
"Without success," I add.
"Without success.”

Suzanne Collins

Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, p. 301
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)

Success

“The Hunger Games is a reality television program. An extreme one, but that's what it is. And while I think some of those shows can succeed on different levels, there's also the voyeuristic thrill, watching people being humiliated or brought to tears or suffering physically. And that's what I find very disturbing. There's this potential for desensitizing the audience so that when they see real tragedy playing out on the news, it doesn't have the impact it should. It all just blurs into one program. And I think it's very important not just for young people, but for adults to make sure they're making the distinction. Because the young soldier's dying in the war in Iraq, it's not going to end at the commercial break. It's not something fabricated, it's not a game. It's your life.”

Suzanne Collins

Q&A with Hunger Games Author Suzanne Collins, July 31, 2013, Hannah Trierweiler Hudson, Scholastic.com http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/qa-hunger-games-author-suzanne-collins,

Life , Hunger , War , People

“You could save a lot of lives, Katniss.”

Suzanne Collins

Haymitch (p. 213)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

“To hear Delly describe it, I had next to no friends because I intimidated people by being so exceptional. Not true. I had next to no friends because I wasn't friendly.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss (p. 188)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

People

““Katniss, she’s running this district. She can’t do it if it seems like she’s caving in to your will.”
“You mean she can’t stand any dissent, even if it’s fair.””

Suzanne Collins

Gale Hawthorne and Katniss Everdeen (pp. 63-64)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

“Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don’t think of District 12 as a place that cares about me. But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take Prim's place, and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.”

Suzanne Collins

Source: The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008), p. 24

Love , Thinking

“"Whatever problems anyone may have with the Capitol, believe me when I say that if it released its grip on the districts for even a short time, the entire system would collapse." […]
"It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down."”

Suzanne Collins

President Snow and Katniss, p. 21
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Problem , Time

“Suddenly I remember how she volunteered to replace the young, hysterical woman in her district. It couldn't be because she thought she had any chance of winning. She did it to save the girl, just like I volunteered last year to save Prim. And I decide I want her on my team.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen on Mags, p. 232
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Girl , Chance

“Even in the Capitol, there’s nothing to match the magnificence of this old building. But there is no give to the surface—only my flesh yields, my warmth taken. Stone conquers people every time.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss (p. 209)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

People , Time

“I squint down at my feet and see that my metal plate is surrounded by blue waves that lap up over my boots. Slowly I raise my eyes and take in the water spreading out in every direction.
I can only form one clear thought.
This is no place for a girl on fire.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss, p. 263
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Girl , Water

“"So you're supposed to give us some advice", I say to Haymitch.
"Here's some advice. Stay Alive," says Haymitch and bursts out laughing.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen and Haymitch Abernathy.
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)

“The questions are just beginning. The arenas have been completely destroyed, the memorials built, there are no more Hunger Games. But they teach about them at school, and the girl knows we played a role in them. The boy will know in a few years.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss (p. 389)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Hunger , School , Girl , Game

“I refuse for this to be true. Some things even I can't survive. I utter my first words since my sister's death. "I don't believe you."
Snow shakes his head in mock disappointment. "Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen. I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other."”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss and President Snow (p. 358)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Death , Lie , Disappointment , Sister

“"We didn't bomb the train tunnel, you know. Some of them will probably get out."
"And then we'll shoot them when they show their faces?" I ask.
"Only if we have to," he answers.”

Suzanne Collins

Boggs and Katniss (pp. 209-210)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Training

““When you’re on the chariot this time, no waving, no smiling. I just want you to look straight ahead, as if the entire audience is beneath your notice.”
“Finally something I’ll be good at,” I say.”

Suzanne Collins

Cinna and Katniss, p. 207
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Smile , Time

“I thought I detected in you a sense of fair play. Most dangerous in the Underland, boy.”

Suzanne Collins The Underland Chronicles

Ripred, p. 240
The Underland Chronicles, Gregor the Overlander (2003)

Boy , Sense

“I'm not their slave," the man mutters.
"I am," I say. "That’s why I killed Cato … and he killed Thresh … and he killed Clove … and she tried to kill me. It just goes around and around, and who wins? Not us. Not the districts. Always the Capitol. But I'm tired of being a piece in their Games.”

Suzanne Collins

A District 2 soldier and Katniss (p. 215)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Game

“Buttercup begins to wail as well. He circles me, just out of reach, as wave after wave of sobs racks my body, until eventually I fall unconscious. But he must understand. He must know that the unthinkable has happened and to survive will require previously unthinkable acts. Because hours later, when I come to in my bed, he's there in the moonlight. Crouched beside me, yellow eyes alert, guarding me from the night.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss (p. 386)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Understanding , Night

“And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don't want him to die. And it's not about the sponsors. And it's not about what will happen back home. And it's not just that I don't want to be alone. It's him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen, p. 297
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)

Home , Boy , Idea

“So, now that we’re dead, what’s our next move?”

Suzanne Collins

Gale (p. 289)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Dead

“"Was there fighting after I was shot?"
"Not much. The workers from the Nut turned on the Capitol soldiers. The rebels just sat by and watched," he says. "Actually, the whole country just sat by and watched."
"Well, that’s what they do best," I say.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss and Gale (p. 222)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Fight , Country

“My Name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in The Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me. Peeta was taken prisoner. He is thought to be dead. Most likely he is dead. It is probably best if he is dead…”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss (pp. 8)
The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay (2010)

Hunger , Home , Hate , Dead

“Whatever problems anyone may have with the Capitol, believe me when I say that if it released its grip on the districts for even a short time, the entire system would collapse.”

Suzanne Collins

[...]
"It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down."
President Snow and Katniss, p. 21
The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire (2009)

Problem , Time

“Hendrix says one of the most important things Battle Royale and The Hunger Games share is the idea of teenagers trapped in a ruined society, coerced by grownups into doing horrible things.”

Suzanne Collins

Grady Hendrix in "'Battle,' 'Games': Cold Brutality A Common Theme" https://www.npr.org/2012/03/21/148991013/battle-games-cold-brutality-a-common-theme by Nedia Ulaby, All Things Considered, NPR, March 21, 2012
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008), About The Hunger Games

Hunger , Idea , Game

“Hendrix has read the interviews where Collins has flatly denied knowing about Battle Royale before she wrote The Hunger Games.”

Suzanne Collins

But Hendrix says the plots are eerily similar: school kids chosen by lottery, given a variety of weapons and survival packs and taken to a remote, restricted area to take part in a televised death match.
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008), About The Hunger Games

Hunger , Game , Reading

“I wonder what Gale made of the incident for a moment and then I push the whole thing out of my mind becouse for some reason Gale and Peeta do not coexist well together in my thoughts.”

Suzanne Collins

Katniss, p. 186/187
The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games (2008)