S. E. Hinton

S. E. Hinton – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes


S. E. Hinton, born Susan Eloise Hinton on July 22, 1948, revolutionized young adult fiction with The Outsiders. Discover her biography, literary career, enduring legacy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Susan Eloise Hinton—better known under the byline S. E. Hinton—is one of the most influential figures in American young adult (YA) literature. She burst onto the literary scene as a teenager, penning The Outsiders while still in high school, and in doing so gave a voice to a generation of adolescents who rarely saw their struggles captured with honesty in print. Her work bridged the divide between adult and teenage literature, bringing real emotions, moral complexity, and gritty authenticity into stories about youth. Today, her writing continues to resonate: her themes of class conflict, loyalty, identity, and the pain of growing up remain timeless.

Early Life and Family

S. E. Hinton was born July 22, 1948, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to parents Lillian and Grady Hinton. Tragically, when Hinton was fifteen, her father developed a brain tumor and died while she was in high school. The loss deeply affected her emotionally and shaped her outlook on familial relationships and vulnerability.

Growing up, Hinton and her family attended a fundamentalist church, which she later rejected as an adult. From early on, she was an avid reader—drawn to stories that explored human conflict, identity, and the overlooked inner lives of people.

Youth and Education

Hinton attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. The Outsiders, inspired in part by tensions she observed between social groups (especially between working-class “greasers” and more affluent peers).

After high school, Hinton pursued further education at the University of Tulsa. The Outsiders. Her husband-to-be encouraged her to develop a disciplined writing habit of two pages per day, a practice that helped her complete her next novel.

Career and Achievements

The Outsiders and the Birth of YA Fiction

Hinton's first and most famous work, The Outsiders, was published in 1967 via Viking Press. Ponyboy Curtis, a teenage “greaser,” and explores conflict between social strata—the working-class greasers and the more privileged “Socs.” The Outsiders apart was its unflinching realism: Hinton wrote about teenage life not as an afterthought but as the center of human experience.

Publishers suggested she use her initials (rather than “Susan Eloise”) to avoid gender bias and to allow male readers and critics to take the book seriously. S. E. Hinton as her author name and retained it for her later works.

Because the YA market did not really exist at the time, The Outsiders initially was marketed like an adult book—but its appeal among teen readers revealed a new segment.

Subsequent Works

After The Outsiders, Hinton wrote:

  • That Was Then, This Is Now (1971)

  • Rumble Fish (published 1975)

  • Tex (1979)

  • Taming the Star Runner (1988) — this novel departs somewhat from her earlier style by shifting away from first-person narrative.

Later, Hinton expanded into children’s literature and adult fiction:

  • Big David, Little David (1995) and The Puppy Sister (1995) in her children’s catalog

  • Hawkes Harbor (2004) — her first full adult novel

  • Some of Tim’s Stories (2007) — a collection of short stories framed by a fictional narrator “Tim”

Over time, her works have been adapted into films: The Outsiders (1983, directed by Francis Ford Coppola), Rumble Fish, That Was Then, This Is Now, and Tex. Hinton herself made cameo appearances in several of these adaptations.

In recognition of her impact on literature for youth, the American Library Association awarded her the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1988 for her significant and lasting contribution.

Historical Milestones & Context

  • 1960s–70s: The social tension in mid-20th century America—class divides, youth alienation, rebellion—provided a backdrop for Hinton’s fiction. Her stories captured a generation grappling with identity, violence, and displacement.

  • Emergence of YA genre: Though the young adult literary category did not formally exist when The Outsiders was published, Hinton is often credited with helping to establish it.

  • Cultural influence & adaptation: The Outsiders was among the first YA novels to be widely adapted for film, helping to bring Hinton’s themes to broader audiences.

  • Enduring place in education: The book continues to be taught in middle and high schools, often included in required reading lists.

  • Musical revival: In recent years, The Outsiders was adapted into a musical which premiered in 2023 and moved to Broadway in 2024.

Legacy and Influence

S. E. Hinton’s legacy is multifaceted:

  1. Pioneer of YA realism: Her bold, unfiltered depiction of adolescent life set a new standard for YA fiction. She showed that teen voices deserved authenticity, complexity, and respect.

  2. Influence on future writers: Countless YA authors cite Hinton as an inspiration—her work legitimized stories about marginalized youth, class conflict, and troubled families.

  3. Cultural resonance: Her characters—Ponyboy, Johnny, Dally, and others—have become iconic. The phrase “stay gold” (from The Outsiders) remains a touchstone in literary and pop culture.

  4. Enduring sales and readership: Decades after publication, her works continue to sell, be translated, and be read by new generations.

  5. Cross-media impact: Film, television, and stage adaptations have extended her reach beyond literary circles into popular media.

Personality and Talents

Hinton is known to be private and introspective.

Her talent lies in capturing emotional truth in simple, spare prose. She has said that she writes not by academic flourish but by inhabiting a character’s voice deeply.

She has remarked that she sometimes uses two names—a private name and a public name—to manage the boundary between her writing persona and her personal identity.

Famous Quotes of S. E. Hinton

Below are selected quotes that showcase her insight, tone, and recurring themes. (Quotes drawn from multiple sources.)

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” “If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky.” “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold . . .” “Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.” “There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defense.” “I made up my mind that I'd get out of that place and I did. I learned that if you want to get somewhere, you just make up your mind and work like hell ’til you get there.” “Movies can't ruin books. They can only ruin movies.” “I like having a private name and a public name. It helps keep things straight.” “You always have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There’s still lots of good in the world.”

These quotes underscore some of Hinton’s key preoccupations: identity, truth, conflict, loyalty, and the possibility of hope.

Lessons from S. E. Hinton

  • Write the story you wish existed. Hinton began The Outsiders because she was frustrated by the lack of realistic stories about teenagers. Her authenticity answered a deep need in readers.

  • Persevere through doubt. After the success of her debut, she faced writer’s block. Rather than giving up, she adopted a steady daily discipline and overcame it.

  • Trust voice and emotion over polish. Her simple, direct prose wasn’t about literary ornament—it was about emotional truth, which is often more powerful.

  • Boundaries are healthy. Her dual identity of private vs. public reminds emerging writers that maintaining self in public life is necessary.

  • Stories live beyond their time. Though rooted in 1960s Oklahoma, her themes transcend era and geography; readers today still find resonance in her characters’ struggles.

Conclusion

S. E. Hinton’s impact on literature is profound: she reshaped how writers talk to young readers, honored their inner lives, and showed that adolescence itself is worthy of serious narrative. Her works, especially The Outsiders, endure not just because of their historical place, but because the emotions, conflicts, and hopes they express remain human across time.

If you’re a fan of coming-of-age stories or interested in the birth of YA fiction, diving into Hinton’s work is a must. And for those exploring writing or storytelling, her career offers invaluable lessons: remain true to your voice, trust the emotional core of your characters, and remember: sometimes a story’s power comes from its honesty.

Articles by the author

The thing is, the Tulsa experience that I wrote about in 'The Outsiders' is closer to the universal experience than it would be if I wrote it from L.A. or New York. It's an everyman story.

S. E. Hinton

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.

S. E. Hinton

I have no idea why I write. The old standards are: I like to express my feelings, stretch my imagination, earn money.

S. E. Hinton

Any writer who gives a reader a pleasurable experience is doing every other writer a favor because it will make the reader want to read other books. I am all for it.

S. E. Hinton

When I was young, all the books were about a Mary Jane and the football player and the prom and ending up with the quiet guy and making your mom happy.

S. E. Hinton

Movies can't ruin books. They can only ruin movies.

S. E. Hinton

I just felt being part of my peer group so strongly. I was immersed in teen culture, but not taken in by it.

S. E. Hinton

I was a 'young adult' when I wrote 'The Outsiders,' although it was not a genre at the time. It's an interesting time of life to write about, when your ideals get slammed up against reality, and you must compromise.

S. E. Hinton