Of the female black authors, I really like Morrison's early books a lot. But she's really become so much a clone of Faulkner. He did it better.

There are things in American culture that want to wipe the class distinction. Blue jeans. Ready-made clothes. Coca-Cola.

Henry Miller wrote novels, but he calls his protagonist Henry, often Henry Miller, and his books are in this gray area between memoir and novel.

I long for the raised voice, the howl of rage or love.

I think the pattern of my essays is, A funny thing happened to me on my way through Finnegans Wake.

Gertrude Stein really thought of Hemingway as frail. He almost married Stein.

The text is merely one of the contexts of a piece of literature, its lexical or verbal one, no more or less important than the sociological, psychological, historical, anthropological or generic.

Raymond Carver is good. I think he'll be appreciated more and more. He's an easy writer to imitate.

I have, I admit, a low tolerance for detached chronicling and cool analysis.

My assignment is what every writer's assignment is: tell the truth of his own time.

The black situation has changed. They finally realized they're Americans.

Thinking is contagious … so choose whom you surround yourself with carefully! Or at least take precautions so as not to infect yourself with other people’s thinking!

Be careful who influence and inspire your life. Their ways seem like leading to life but the truth is, they lead to eternal death

The loveliest faces are to be seen by moonlight, when one sees half with the eye and half with the fancy.

I'm largely in favor of financial reform.

Your people come first, and if you treat them right, they'll treat the customers right.

Anytime we're interacting with someone, we're judging them, we're sharing expectations, we think they didn't live up to those expectations.

The human mind is prone to pride even when not supported by power; how much more, then, does it exalt itself when it has that support?

Composers and musicians have always starved and, as this is a sentimental country, we think the tradition should be continued.

Decide promptly, but never give any reasons for your decisions. Your decisions may be right, but your reasons are sure to be wrong.