The unsaid message of that endless rack of juniors' pushup bras? No matter what size you are, it still isn't good enough.
Adora SvitakIf I had my way, I'd end all wars and poverty. We should all be more aware of what's going on in the world around us and less ignorant.
Adora SvitakAll that you need to become an entrepreneur and change the world is a working brain - and pretty much nothing else.
Adora SvitakNone of my friends don't have Facebook accounts. Op-eds and studies can highlight our decreased enthusiasm for Facebook 'til the cows come home, but it doesn't change the fact that we are chained to the beast. Voluntarily, of course.
Adora SvitakStudents read for tests and because their parents ask them to, but I think it's very important to tell children that you can read for fun, too, and to understand human spirit. It builds empathy.
Adora SvitakSuccess on the front of women's rights will look like a world not only with obvious advances - where no girl is denied access to education, for instance - but also one with more subtle changes in how we regard gender and gender stereotypes.
Adora SvitakI would say that kids are great in many ways, because I think that we are less hampered when it comes to 'this costs too much' or 'that's impossible.'
Adora SvitakProm has all the elements of a popular story. It reeks of all-Americanness, tension, drama. It has romance. Pretty dresses. Dancing. Limos. High school. Coming of age.
Adora SvitakThe goal is not to turn kids into your kind of adult, but rather better adults than you have been.
Adora SvitakSince the age of four, I've been exploring what I can do with the written word: everything from championing literacy and youth voice to raising awareness about world hunger.
Adora SvitakWe're used to the characteristics of social media - participation, connection, instant gratification - and when school doesn't offer the same, it's easy to tune out.
Adora SvitakThe fact that a baby can be born today and condemned to a life of hardship, struggle, and discrimination simply because of sex is enraging.
Adora SvitakBy creating so many illusory images of physical perfection, whether on store aisles or storefronts ads, magazine covers or TV show, we speak more to the profit margins of companies than the self-esteem of today's girls.
Adora SvitakThe point of my work is to make it clear that all youth can make 'big miracles' happen.
Adora SvitakI wouldn't call myself a geek, but I do sometimes teach Mommy and Daddy stuff about computers. And I do watch TV, but only informative programmes like the news and documentaries.
Adora SvitakWe always reference kids but very rarely ask their opinion. Our inexperience might be what gives us the ability to teach our elders something, due to the fact that we are not jaded or cynical.
Adora SvitakMostly, I avoid worrying since the time spent doing it could be spent more constructively.
Adora SvitakWith writing, I can express myself, really, and share my ideas and just let my thoughts flow out.
Adora SvitakNo matter your position or place in life, it is imperative to create opportunities for children so that we can grow up to blow you away.
Adora SvitakAny good teacher knows how important it is to connect with students and understand our culture.
Adora SvitakI realise I'm still a child, though I do feel older. I recently did an on-line test called 'What's Your True Age?' My result was 50-60 years old.
Adora SvitakI was thrilled to be able to read at three. I just thought everyone loved reading as much as I did.
Adora SvitakLearning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal. The reality, unfortunately, is a little different, and it has a lot to do with trust, or a lack of it.
Adora SvitakThe traits the word 'childish' addresses are seen so often in adults that we should abolish this age-discriminatory word when it comes to criticizing behavior associated with irresponsibility and irrational thinking.
Adora SvitakA lot of negative words adults call the young, like 'naive,' 'impulsive' and 'way too connected online,' are all things we can turn into strengths to help us.
Adora SvitakHoping to instill my love of learning in other children, I taught my first class at a local elementary school the year my first book, 'Flying Fingers,' debuted; since then, I have spoken at hundreds of schools, classrooms and conferences around the world.
Adora SvitakWe all love people who give credit to others for their success. Companies would probably do better with CEOs who didn't blow their own horn and ask for ridiculous salaries and new yachts every year.
Adora SvitakAs children, we have a tenuous idea of love; we often try to quantify it with how much we feel seen and heard.
Adora SvitakMake sure that your kids or the kids in your life have an opportunity to share their ideas, and to teach you something about what we know.
Adora SvitakI cannot emphasize enough the importance of family encouragement - not just for me, but for everyone.
Adora SvitakThere's no committee that says, 'This is the type of person who can change the world - and you can't.' Realizing that anyone can do it is the first step. The next step is figuring out how you're going to do it.
Adora SvitakYoung people are often asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' and given advice about how to lead meaningful adult lives, but where's the encouragement to lead meaningful lives right now?
Adora SvitakOur words can have power that we don't think we have in everyday life - anyone can make a difference.
Adora SvitakIf we all understood we can learn from both older and younger people, then we'd have a better world.
Adora Svitak