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30 Quotes from 30 People with Autism

By Merrick Egber

 

John Elder Robison – Author, ‘Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger’s’

“I don’t want to be a genius or a freak or something on display. I wish for empathy and compassion from those around me, and I appreciate sincerity, clarity, and logicality in other people. I believe most people—autistic or not—share this wish. And now, with my newfound insight, I’m on the way to achieving that goal. I hope you’ll keep those thoughts in mind the next time you meet someone who looks or acts a little strange.”


Dr. Temple Grandin – Professor of Animal Husbandry, Colorado State University.

“I am different, not less”


Dan Akroyd – Famous Actor ‘Ghostbusters’ ‘Blues Brothers’

“I also have Asperger’s but I can manage it. It wasn’t diagnosed until the early Eighties when my wife persuaded me to see a doctor. One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement — I carry around a police badge with me, for example. I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film Ghostbusters was born.”


Dr. Stephen Shore – Special Education Professor, Adelphi University, Advisory Board Member

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”


Naoki Higashida – Author ‘The Reason I Jump’

“Everybody has a heart that can be touched by something.”


Dr. Kerry Magro – National Speaker, Advisory Board Member

“Autism can’t define me,  I define autism.”


Kayla Cromer – Actress, “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”

“Being on the spectrum and having other learning differences, I am used to working harder and have a great drive to succeed. I interpret things differently, which helps with analyzing scripts, engulfing myself into roles, to achieve realism. [It] also drives me to make strong choices.”


Haley Moss – Attorney, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2019, Advisory Board Member

I might hit developmental and societal milestones in a different order than my peers, but I am able to accomplish these small victories on my own time.


Ron Sandison – Professor of Theology at Destiny School of Ministry. Advisory Board Member. 

“Help people with autism to be included in social activities. By doing this people learn that individuals with autism are like everyone else and desire to have friendships.”


Paul Morris – Assistant, New York Medical College of Human Resources – Advisory Board Member

“I think that it is not only autistic people who need to learn. The people who don’t have autism must learn to understand us and be tolerant”


Andrew Blitman – Tutor and Mentor, Firewalls Centers – Advisory Board Member

“Streams of words

Flow as drops on paper

From the fountain pen,

Their source.

Communication is easy when written,

But when spoken it often feels forced.”


Sue Abramowski – Human Services Professional – Advisory Board Member

“At the end of the day, despite our differences, my [Neurotypical] brother and I complement each other. He serves as a sounding board for when I need to vent, and I do the same for him. He gives me financial pointers, and I give him advice on what to do next when he is contemplating options in a given situation.”


Rachel Barcellona – Pageant Professional – Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2017 – Advisory Board Member

“Everyone has a mountain to climb and autism has not been my mountain, it has been my opportunity for victory.”


Merrick Egber – Administrative Assistant, Els for Autism Foundation – Chair of the Advisory Board

“I used to think, when I was first diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome – a form of autism, about what I can’t do, rather than what I can do, which was a mistake in thinking”


Tony Hernandez Pumajero – Collaborator, Despierta Orlando – Univision TV, Advisory Board Member

“My focus is to continue to advocate on behalf of people with autism, especially adults, for better programs and services that will help them achieve a more independent and greater life. Regardless of the function level, every person with autism has an important role to play as the agents of change that the World truly needs”


Adam Jones – Barn Attendant at Madison Fields – Part of the Madison House Autism Foundation, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2018 – Advisory Board Member

“When people pursue their interests, especially those that are on the autism spectrum, they have a better chance at succeeding in life.”


Mike DiMauro – UberEats Driver, Advisory Board Member

“We  need to have kindness in this world, we need to have peace in this world, and we need to have forgiveness in this world”


Jim Hogan – Principal Innovation Strategist – Google, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2020 – Advisory Board Member

“my activism is not about ending Autism, it is about ending cruelty – with a focus on the horrendous cruelty of bullying”


Susan Boyle – Famous Singer – ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, ‘Wild Horses’ 

“There are enough people in the world who are going to write you off. You don’t need to do that to yourself.”


Dan Harmon – Famous Showrunner –  ‘Community’, ‘Rick & Morty’

“We float around and we run across each other and we learn about ourselves, and we make mistakes and we do great things. We hurt others, we hurt ourselves, we make others happy and we please ourselves. We can and should forgive ourselves and each other for that.”


Sir Anthony Hopkins – Famous Actor – ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘The Father’

“My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am, and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.”


Daryl Hannah – Famous Actress – ‘Splash’, ‘Bladerunner’

“Life is too short to stress the small things anymore.”


Stephen Wiltshire – Famous Landscape Sketch Artist

“Do the best you can and never stop”


Gloria Mendoza – SAP S/4HANA Technical Quality Manager – 2016 Els for Autism Spectrum Award Winner

“You should see some of the videos I had when I was a child, I was not very socially skilled with the other kids, not showing interests with other people, displaying some of the challenging behaviors that a child, on the autism spectrum, would have.”


Joshua ‘Deersey’ Deer – Assistant Equipment Manager at Lone Star Brahmas/NA3HL Texas Brahmas – 2015 Els for Autism Spectrum Award Winner

“For every tournament, any PGA Tournament Jordan, Ernie and Ryan play in, I always look up bible verses related to golf, and I set them up as character goals,” Deer says, “to help them with their character, and to help them stay positive.”


Hannah Gadsby – Comedian ‘Nannette’ ‘Douglas’

“when I was diagnosed, it just gave me permission to be kinder to myself, to not always take responsibility for being a bit clumsy around other people, and allow me to start to tell people, “I’m clumsy, but I [don’t] mean to be.” And being more open about, “I need you to tell me what I did wrong, and then we can move on from there.”


Dani Bowman – Head of DaniMation Studios – an Animation Company

“Anything Is possible! If I can do it, so can you!”


Xavier DeGroat – Head, Xavier DeGroat Autism Foundation

“I got doubted when I was a kid. ‘You’re never going to meet the Dalai Lama [and] you’re never going to do this or that. That’s the exact kind of thing I don’t appreciate in people.”


Dr. Mary Doherty – consultant anaesthetist, Our Ladies’ Hospital.

“It was only when my son was diagnosed as autistic that everything finally made sense: my unconventional lifestyle and career path, my sequential interests which are unusual in their variety and intensity, my sensory preferences and my absolute need for solitude. Finally understanding that my experience of the world is different from that of non-autistic people allows me to understand my needs and ensure they are met, and at this point I love being autistic and no longer struggle with mental health issues.”

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