Justice Smith Quotes

'The Catcher in the Rye.' When I was a teenager, that was my book; yes, somebody gets it, somebody gets adolescence.

To me, White Boy Shuffle is sort of like Catcher in the Rye, the story is so universal.

I remember reading 'Catcher in the Rye,' but I don't think I got it.

Adolescents are attracted to tragic heroes. That's why rock stars dress like homeless people. Adolescence is a fall. It's when every child becomes an orphan.

I've always enjoyed the teen angst thing. I had a lot of teen angst as I was growing up, so I think I have a lot to say about it through characters before I have to move on.

'Catcher In The Rye' was my favorite book, honestly. I read it when I was thirteen, and the book was a bit of a family heirloom because it was passed down from my grandfather to my father to my older brother and then to me.

I watch a lot of teen TV and read a lot of YA novels. I also talk to teens whenever I can. There are cultural differences between when I was a teen and now, but emotions - anger, angst, love - are the same.

When I was a teenager, I was like, 'Something is wrong with me. I don't fit in. I'm not like everybody else.' So, I always knew that I wanted to explore and move on, but it was completely unexpected, the way it happened.

I don't want to just be in the normal kind of teen movie.

It wasn't a leap for me to go from not wanting to be in my body as a teenager, not wanting to be in my house, to thinking, 'What would happen if I had disappeared?' And then going from writing scenes of angry kids to thinking a little more about the parents and what their lives would be like.

That messed me up, growing up in the public eye when I was a teenager. That's when everyone is trying to find themselves.

I love telling teen stories where the characters are experiencing things for the first time - the stakes feel really high.

Like me as a teen - and like many teenagers now - my characters are at a peculiar crossroads in their lives. They desperately seek freedom. But at the same time, they are constantly thwarted.

Every teenager feels like a freak. It's part of being a teenager, part of the individuation from child to adult - those teenage years are who am I? What am I? Where am I going?

Your average teenager can't relate to a girl who casts magic spells. But she does understand someone who is torn about her upbringing and the situation in her life.

I feel like there's a moment, in every young girl's life, whether it happens with your family, or a tragedy or death in your family, or a relationship, where there's a turning point where you go from extremely hopeful and cheery to wondering whether you are okay with where you are. That's always awkward.

Why not write a book which is as sophisticated as a book for an adult, but is about the concerns that teenagers actually have?

I was a happy kid up until I hit the teen years.

I actually love writing for teens best. I had such an awful time in my own teen years - I love having the chance to relive them through my fiction.

I think that is a universal adolescent feeling, trying to find your place. The adolescent who is perfectly adjusted to his environment, I've yet to meet.

The area of teenage life is not necessarily rarefied; we've all gone through that period. It's not as rarefied as a western or a space adventure or a gangster film, but it has its own dynamic.

When you come out of your teens, you think you're sussed. But you don't know who you are at 22. You're constantly trying to fit in. You get a little lost.

Sixteen is a hard time. A lot of kids are experimenting with things.

People love teen movies because everyone can relate.

I was an angst-y journal writing kid.