Benjamin Zephaniah > Quotes

“This planet is for everyone, borders are for no one. It's all about freedom.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“ Now The Head Lines


How do you like your truth?
Gently spoken on breakfast TV
By a man and a woman who sit comfortably
Saying riots, and murder, when will it end?
As they struggle to act as if they are good friends.

How do you like your truth?
Bite-sized in sound bites cut easy to chew, With a talking head saying the victim's like you
And when you've digested the horrors you've seen
You find good, you find evil, and no in-between.

How do you like your truth?
Fantastic, sensational, printed in bold,
Today it's exclusive, tomorrow it's old,
All on the surface with nothin too deep
With a story about animals to help you to sleep

How do you like your youth?
From perfect families with parents thet care,
Or in perfect families but still in despair,
Ten out of ten parents say they'd not choose
To have bad kids like those in the news.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead: Nelson Thornes Page Turners

“Don't give me truth, just give me gossip
And skeletons from people's closets,
I wanna be normal
And millions buy it,
I am blinded by The SUN.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“Living rooms are arranged around the TV, but when you take away the box you have the freedom to arrange the room to suit yourself.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead

“real men cry, real men have feelings.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“My name is Alem Kelo. I live with the Fitzgeralds, my foster family, at 202 Meanly Road, Manor Park, London. I have also lived in Ethiopia and Eritrea. I have spent a few nights in a hotel in Datchet, one night in a children’s home in Reading, and for a short while I stayed in a hotel in Forest Gate, which was a bit rough. I have stayed in all these places in the last year. To be really honest I would prefer to live in Africa with my mother and my father but they have both been killed and there is war in my country. Things are very hard for me. Look at me, look at all the things that I am capable of, and think of all the things you could call me – a student, a lover of literature, a budding architect,”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“martin learnt quickly to take every day as it came and never expect one day to be the same as the last”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Face

“School was preparation for the future... and he had no intention to go into the future unprepared.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“Listen, geezer,”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“Nothing is as it seems. Seeing is not believing. Sometimes... you have to feel, touch, experience... and use your intelligence.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah

“I think they had something to do with the killing of Mr. Joseph, miss."

She laughed, as all adults seem to do when they don't believe something.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Teacher's Dead: Nelson Thornes Page Turners

“A few years ago if yu said yu were Green
Yu were really seen as Red.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“˜ Life After Death”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“De young an old are doing it I have a rappin mudder
Everybody has dere rap so let's rap to each other
No matter what yu style or de hat dat yu are wearing
Yu can even get away wida little swearing,
Fuck.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, City Psalms (Studies in Comparative Religion

“But Robert, don’t you think it’s a bit cold to just hang out? If we hang out for long enough we will freeze.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“know what I must do, Father,’ he said, still looking into his father’s eyes. ‘I must represent Mother’s ideas, I should promote her dream.’ His father smiled. ‘You got it, young man! You do that and that will mean that she lives. Now,’ he said, standing up, ‘I’m told that I will get some financial help next week. My money is running out but I have enough to get some food for the time being. So let’s go shopping.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy

“ Reminders

‘The peace garden is opposite the War Memorial,’
Said the old soldier.

‘We had to fight to make peace
Back in the good old days.’

‘No, the War Memorial is opposite the peace garden,’
Said the old pacifist.

‘You’ve had so many wars to end all wars,
Still millions are dying from the wars you left behind.’

‘Look,’ said the old soldier.
‘You chickens stuck your peace garden
In front of our War Memorial to cause non-violent trouble.
This War Memorial is necessary,
It reminds us that people have died for our country.’

‘Look,’ said the old pacifist,
‘In the beginning was peace
And the peace was with God
And the peace was God,
This peace garden is unnecessary but
It reminds us that people want to live for our country.”
― Benjamin Zephaniah