The story fails but your faith in the importance of doing the story doesn't fail.

You cannot let your parents anywhere near your real humiliations.

The complexity of things - the things within things - just seems to be endless. I mean nothing is easy, nothing is simple.

Always remember that when a man goes out of the room, he leaves everything in it behind. When a woman goes out she carries everything that happened in the room along with her.

I would really hope this would make people see the short story as an important art, not just something you played around with until you got a novel.

The conversation of kisses. Subtle, engrossing, fearless, transforming.

In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, where something happened, and then there are all the other places.

We say of some things that they can't be forgiven, or that we will never forgive ourselves. But we do-we do it all the time.

My head was a magpie's nest lined with such bright scraps of information.

Love removes the world for you, and just as surely when it's going well as when it's going badly.

Life would be grand if it weren't for the people.

There isa time to liveand a time to diebut never to reject the moment.

I come from the South Bronx - a true descendant of the melting pot. I grew up in a really mixed neighborhood; it was a very integrated life.

Evil succeeds when good men do nothing

Burroughs's voice is hard, derisive, inventive, free, funny, serious, poetic, indelibly American.

I credit my parents for instilling in me a good work ethic and the sensibility that God serves those best who serve themselves.

Develop the strength of a man, but live as gently as a woman

I never have sought the world; the world was not to seek me.

I value my privacy and my personal life - and I certainly don't exploit my personal life.

It has always been my goal to believe in what I do and love what I do and be true to that.

Rihanna, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj - we may not win, but we would have a lot of fun [in 4x400m relay team].