Getting close to books, and spending time by myself, I was obliged to think about things I would never have thought about if I was busy romping around with a brother and sister.

Before the war it was always the United States *are*, after the war it was the United States is... it made us an is.

The Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things... It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads.

If you want to study writing, read Dickens. That's how to study writing, or Faulkner, or D.H. Lawrence, or John Keats. They can teach you everything you need to know about writing.

People make a grievous error thinking that a list of facts is the truth. Facts are just the bare bones out of which truth is made.

When you grow up in a totally segregated society, where everybody around you believes that segregation is proper, you have a hard time. You can't believe how much it's a part of your thinking.

A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library.

As a Southerner I would have to say that one of the main importances of the War is that Southerners have a sense of defeat which none of the rest of the country has.

I think making mistakes and discovering them for yourself is of great value, but to have someone else to point out your mistakes is a shortcut of the process.

I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears.

Longevity conquers scandal every time.

I have nothing against youI just learned not to trust youI know its a trial and errorBut shit, I thought I'm a solver

Have an objective in life! Or you feel lost in life!

But Hopes are Shy Birds flying at a great distance seldom reached by the best of Guns.

I happen to agree with many of the liberal emphasis on compassion, justice and equality. I just disagree that it's the government's role to provide everything.

The wailing owl screams solitary to the mournful moon.

People who believe in themselves can accomplish almost anything... all begins with attitude.

Angelina wanted to make sure that any fighting in the movie would be comparable to any male actor. Everything from stick fighting to horse riding was real to her.

Some good, some so-so, and lots plain bad: that's how a book of poems is made, my Friend.

God doesn't do the work for you; he does the work through you. It's not enough to look up; you must also look within.

The Iraq Survey Group has already found massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories.