Quotes from Brandon Stanton

Main thing is just to remember that hard work got me here and only hard work will keep me here.

I never know what kind of people I'll meet just by stopping to take a photo.

'Humans of New York' is basically somebody walking up to absolute strangers on the street every day and, within minutes, talking with them about very personal things. Some things they haven't even told their best friends or family members.

I think everyone feels alone in their sadness, and there's a certain value to hearing other people's sad stories.

The interviews have gotten much longer with 'Humans of New York.' When I was first starting, I was just photographing people. And then I went to just kind of including a quote or two. Now when I'm approaching somebody on the street, I'm spending about 30 to 45 minutes with them often.

I struck upon this kind of crazy idea that I was going to go to New York and stop 10,000 people on the streets and take their portrait and create kind of a photographic census of the city.

I am interviewing people with a spirit of genuine interest and compassion, and therefore, the general tone of the site is one of genuine interest and compassion. The moment that culture changes, 'Humans of New York' is no longer viable.

The media chooses to portray the most extreme and violent aspects of a place. I do the opposite and portray the normality.