

“Learn from your past and be better because of your past,” she would say, “but don’t cry about your past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter.”
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

“I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. “What if…” “If only…” “I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.”
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

“Being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being.”
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

“I was blessed with another trait I inherited from my mother, her ability to forget the pain in life. I remember the thing that caused the trauma, but I don't hold onto the trauma. I never let the memory of something painful prevent me from trying something new. If you think too much about the ass kicking your mom gave you or the ass kicking that life gave you, you’ll stop pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules. It’s better to take it, spend some time crying, then wake up the next day and move on. You’ll have a few bruises and they’ll remind you of what happened and that’s ok. But after a while, the bruises fade and they fade for a reason. Because now, it’s time to get up to some shit again.”
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

“You want to live in a world where someone is good or bad. Where you either hate them or love them. But that's not how people are.”
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
― Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
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