We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language.... - Toni Morrison

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

"All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was."

"Writing is really a way of thinking--not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet."

"Birth, life, and death― each took place on the hidden side of a leaf."

"I'm a Midwesterner, and everyone in Ohio is excited. I'm also a New Yorker, and a New Jerseyan, and an American, plus I'm an African-American, and a woman. I know it seems like I'm spreading like algae when I put it this way, but I'd like to think of the prize being distributed to these regions and nations and races."