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K. Sello Duiker Quotes

1974–2005

Kabelo Sello Duiker (13 April 1974 – 19 January 2005) was a South African novelist. His debut novel, Thirteen Cents, won the 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region.

Random K. Sello Duiker quote

13 quotes

I fear nothing, I tell myself, not even the dark.

Grown-ups are devils. They have children so that they can feel good about themselves.

I can take care of myself. 'Julle fokken mannetjies moet skool toe gaan,' the fruit-sellers yell.

Those two words are like magic, my secret. They’ve made me nice money every time I used them with a smile.

It’s not that bad washing with cold water. It’s like anything – you get used to it.

I don’t like that stuff. It just does terrible things to your body.

The sky is angry with darkness and purple fire. My heart nearly stops beating when I begin to see water at the edge of the mountain.

I find it difficult to sleep in the cold. I must stay awake, I tell myself and feed the fire the whole night.

When the fire burns steadily I climb back up to the top to get my clothes and bring them down. I drape my clothes on a log and put it near the fire.

Build a triangle with little branches. I do it carefully as there isn’t dried grass to light up. You can’t fuck up, I say to myself and keep checking the lighter’s fluid.

I know what fear is. I breathe in deep and hold it for a while. When I let go, I open my eyes. I have seen the centre of darkness.

I lost my parents three years ago. Papa was bad with money and got Mama in trouble. The day they killed him I was away at school.

I must always act like a grown-up. You must speak like them. That means when you speak to a grown-up in town you must look at them in the eyes and use a loud voice because if you speak softly they will swear at you.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: K. Sello Duiker (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.