But then, as far as I know, as far as I've studied or heard or picked up, it seems that this type of thing is a curse against mankind.

Most of us prefer to be as quiet as possible about giving, because every time it's publicized that we do something, if it's something of the nature of giving, we'll be doubly besieged, and you really get sick of being always criticized no matter what you do.

If you go back to before mankind came out of the cave, there was hatred.

That's what happens with writing. Ingredients bubble and cook. Material becomes substance.

I certainly wasn't seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its students. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me, asking questions. One was, "What's your alma mater?" I told him, "Books.

I can't feel Irish to save my soul, but it's a fact.

Every time an old person dies, it's like a library burning down.