Even drunk, I knew any escape plan that involved going to Detroit, Michigan, was a harbinger of doom.

I love the idea of biracial. I actually don't use the word biracial. I tend to use mixed. Biracial to me accentuates the word race, and, you know, I don't really care for it.

The sociopaths - that's the real problem. The whole street demeanor is about pretending to be a sociopath as well so that the real ones can't find you.

It is a great moment in every freak's life when he or she finds out that at least they are not the only one.

People aren't social. They're tribal. Race doesn't exist, but tribes are real.

For some reason, people always assign high cheekbones to some ethnicity, but apparently by their regards, everybody on earth has high cheekbones. So I don't know if that matters.

Everybody just gets on my nerves after like, 10 minutes, you know.

I'm really suspicious of anybody who comes in and says, this is your identity now, or this is your belief system, and now that you have this, everything's going to be great.

My weak suit is whatever each reader hates about each book.

My strong suit is that I've been willing to risk on the page to get somewhere interesting.

I've been writing forever, 20 years.

A man might share his wealth, but never his authority.

Great things in business are never done by one person, They are done by a team of people

Ultimate Reality is not clearly and immediately apprehended except by those who have made themselves loving, pure in heart and poor in spirit.

I know what my heart is like Since your love died: It is like a hollow ledge Holding a little pool Left there by the tide, A little tepid pool, Drying inward from the edge.

I have no more to say except this: We must live with our own conscience.

We learn how to kiss, or to drink, talk to our buddies-all the things that you can't really teach in social studies or history-we all learn them at the movies.

I Hated Duke. I Felt Like They Only Recruited Black Players That Were Uncle Toms.

Great leaders always have self-discipline -without exception.

It's amazing as women how many excuses we make when a guy doesn't call or text. It's unbelievable.

For me the moment of death will be a moment of jubilation, not of fear. I cried when I was born and I shall die laughing.