Queenie Quotes
"You know, back in the day, when Mum came over, they used to put implants and IUDs in black women without us knowing to stop us getting pregnant."
"You’re not a celebrity, Queenie. Don’t be so paranoid."
"I don’t think that you can pick and choose like a facial composite, Joyce."
"But Gemini men are a whole different story."
"Your nose is nice and squishy. It might be my favorite thing about your face."
"The pursuit of a woman makes them feel strong, it makes them feel good, and it makes them think they have a purpose in life."
"I’m telling you. The one I’ve got is fifteen now, all she gives me is trouble."
"I just don’t understand why he isn’t better at understanding that he needs to lean into all of my stuff."
"I’ve let work slip so much lately, and there are serious things going on in the world that need reporting and the Daily Read doesn’t seem to be doing it."
"I’m probably making a fool of myself by saying this, because you’re probably only being a friendly colleague, but if you aren’t, it’s probably a bad idea to get involved with someone at work, don’t you think?"
"You can’t just decide that, Queenie. See it from my point of view. I meet this beautiful girl who works in my building and within about three seconds realize that she’s brilliant, that she’s someone I want to spend all my time with, and touch, and kiss, and . . ."
"I’m not calling you racist, I’m saying that if the thinking is that someone should be killed for doing something wrong, that thinking is dangerous."
"You mustn’t. Look, Queenie, some advice for you. Whenever I’ve had a huge upheaval, my mother has always said, ‘Keep one foot on the ground when two are in the air.’ At least you’ve got your job, and you’ve got a place to live, so try to keep your focus on those things."
"I’m not good at sitting home with nothing to focus on. It’s when the demons come knocking."
"The last thing I needed adding to my unclear relationship situation was an STI. What was wrong with me?"
"I’m going to make some promises to myself, and uphold them."
"You know, I really care about things, and when I pitch something to her, Gina always tells me it’s not good enough."
"If I wanted to talk about work I would have sent a text to my mum."
"It’s not a riot, it’s an uprising. And we will continue with our uprising until we get the justice we deserve."
"Black Lives Matter does not diminish any lives other than ours. That’s not what it’s about. What we’re saying right now is that we are the ones who are suffering."
"Being brave isn’t the same as being okay."
"You think I’m dumb, Adi? I’ve seen you talking to her like you’re brown South London Romeo and Juliet."
"I don’t think that any part of Black Lives Matter even hints that other lives are disposable?"
"I know that maybe I don’t deserve your pity or your mercy, but I am having a really bad time and I don’t know what to do."
"This isn’t like you, Queenie, to be so robotic about things."
"It’s okay to suffer, you know. It’s okay to be in pain, and be hurting."
"Give me his surname and I can get you his wife’s name, job, and Twitter handle in less than a minute. I can go DIY FBI on it." - Cassandra
"There was no more excitement or chase, only guilt in its place. And he couldn’t handle it. He’s a coward." - Darcy
"Sleep paralysis is a strange thing... it's something about the brain being disrupted and waking up before the body, which is why you can’t move." - Queenie
"You ain’t go’ any time for me anymore an’ I’on like it," he slurred. "You don’t wan’ sex anymore an’ thas crap for me because our sex is absolutely cracking." - Guy
"I’m going to bed," I said, ignoring his comment and the reminder that I’d conceded to his request of sofa sex just to stop him from constantly asking. - Queenie
"I can’t lose anyone else in my life. I’d tried reaching out to her via every form of communication bar fax and telegram, but nothing." - Queenie
"You think life is a film? Even if it was, fam, we’re black. ‘Whatever shade,’ " she said, mimicking my voice, "we’d be first to die." - Kyazike
"I thought I’d be able to spend my days recovering through sleep, rest, quiet, and food." - Queenie
"I’m not Cinderella! I’ve come here to have some rest, not to—" - Queenie
"You think I haven’t shaken worse in my life? After I had your mother, I shook for a year." - Queenie's grandmother
"I am telling you. You are nat going." - Queenie's grandmother
"Maybe we haffi learn from this new generation, Veronica." - Queenie's grandfather
"You’re damaged goods, so you self-destruct," Cassandra repeated calmly. "No wonder Tom escaped when he did." - Cassandra
"And don’t think that’s a slight about your weight, I know how sensitive you are about everything." - Cassandra
"You’re damaged goods, Queenie." - Cassandra
"I’m not my mum," I replied. "I don’t—is it okay if I don’t talk about her?" - Queenie
"I don’t know. I feel a bit like for a while I’ve been carrying ten balls of wool. And one ball fell, so I dropped another to catch it, but still didn’t catch it." - Queenie
"Your daughter won’t amount to nuttin’." - Roy
"You think I sleep, with all of you to worry about? I don’t think I’ve put my head on the pillow and slept a full night since 1950." - Queenie's grandmother
"For a bit, I was living in a flat. By myself, mainly. I could take care of myself. It was fine."
"I was fine. And it was better than the alternative. I couldn’t live with him anymore."
"I sat on the Tube home picking dried blood from my palms."
"I’ve been thinking about why this all started. Why it all started to come back and why I stopped caring about my life and started to fuck up."
"I realized that she was more powerful than any delicate princess I’d read about. I’d just given birth to a queen."
"I felt like I was living a half-life at the moment."
"I can’t wake up and not be a black woman, Janet. I can’t walk into a room and not be a black woman."
"I just wanted to say thank you for letting me speak to you."
"You’re such a sweet and sensitive person and I should have seen that beneath the steel."
"I know I have no right to demand that, but I do at least believe that no good can come of it for anyone."
"I wish you nothing but happiness and love and decent people in your life."
"You’re urban, aren’t you, you probably know about this sort of thing."
"People are going to try to put you in a mold, they’re going to tell you who you should be and how you should act."
"Despite everything, I wanted to call Tom, to tell him that my life was back on track."
"We, all of the people who love you, who have been there for you, will be behind that door."
"You are worthy of love, and they prove that."