---
title: "1 Poetry Really Quotes By Matt de la Pena"
description: "1 Poetry Really quotes by Matt de la Pena. Plus more from Matt de la Pena and more Poetry Really sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/matt-de-la-pena-15023_african-american_i-always-thought-books-were-just-the-can_1402641.jpg"
---

> [I always thought books were just the canon, things I couldn't identify with. And then I was introduced to really amazing multicultural literature - it was all things I was trying to do unsuccessfully in my poetry. It really just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/i-always-thought-books-were-just-the-canon-things-i-couldn-t-identify/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/matt-de-la-pena-15023_african-american_i-always-thought-books-were-just-the-can_1402641.jpg)

## More by Matt de la Pena

> [As an author, you go into the school, it gets written about in the paper. It sucks that your book was banned, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/as-an-author-you-go-into-the-school-it-gets-written-about-in-the/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [Whenever I teach writing I tell them to never revise as you go. Finish the first draft. This is my writing advice. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/whenever-i-teach-writing-i-tell-them-to-never-revise-as-you-go-finish/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [When you first quit your regular job and you become a full-time writer, you are paralyzed with free time. You have so much free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-you-first-quit-your-regular-job-and-you-become-a-full-time/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [I think the world sort of looks to the kids who have potential. These are the kids who are going to do something with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/i-think-the-world-sort-of-looks-to-the-kids-who-have-potential-these/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [I think we all try to figure out ways to ignore the fact that life is about suffering. In the modern world, that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/i-think-we-all-try-to-figure-out-ways-to-ignore-the-fact-that-life-is/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [Growing up as a mixed-race kid myself, when you are in the middle of it and you're young...you don't think about it consciously. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/growing-up-as-a-mixed-race-kid-myself-when-you-are-in-the-middle-of/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [A lot of people think that they are really cool because they don't outline. In my writing group, they would say, "I will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/a-lot-of-people-think-that-they-are-really-cool-because-they-don-t/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [The second book, which was probably more from a professional standpoint - when I read Junot Díaz's Drown, I was like, Oh my god,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-second-book-which-was-probably-more-from-a-professional/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [When I was young, I grew up in a family of working-class people. Not just my parents, but my extended family, as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-i-was-young-i-grew-up-in-a-family-of-working-class-people-not/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [Once I got into college, I discovered literature - in particular, multicultural literature. I just started to understand the power of story and narrative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/once-i-got-into-college-i-discovered-literature-in-particular/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [The feeling it gave me was an odd combination of weightless self-pity and excitement. I understood my life was meaningless, and this knowledge freed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-feeling-it-gave-me-was-an-odd-combination-of-weightless-self-pity/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [When I finish a book, I'll go to that file and look through them. And I'll say, these are three that really excite me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-i-finish-a-book-i-ll-go-to-that-file-and-look-through-them-and-i/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [When I'm following what a character does in a book I don't have to think about my own life. Where I am. Why I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-i-m-following-what-a-character-does-in-a-book-i-don-t-have-to/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [My chest got this weird feeling, like when you stare into the eyes of a little baby and the baby looks back up at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/my-chest-got-this-weird-feeling-like-when-you-stare-into-the-eyes-of/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

> [I guess I don't really know what I want to do, either. Sometimes I feel like a shook-up bottle of soda. Like, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/i-guess-i-don-t-really-know-what-i-want-to-do-either-sometimes-i-feel/)

[Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/)

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