I had assumed that the Earth, the spirit of the Earth, noticed exceptions-those who wantonly damage it and those who do not. But the Earth is wise. It has given itself into the keeping of all, and all are therefore accountable.

The long-term accommodation that protects marriage and other such relationships is ... forgetfulness.

it is this broken road with pitfalls and sharp turns and unexpected traverses that has brought me joy and adventure.

The sight of a Black nun strikes their sentimentality; and, as I am unalterably rooted in native ground, they consider me a work of primitive art, housed in a magical color; the incarnation of civilized, anti-heathenism, and the fruit of a triumphing idea.

I don't focus on criticism. I prefer to praise people and the world, rather than criticize them and it.

Fiction is such a world of freedom, it's wonderful. If you want someone to fly, they can fly.

In search of my mother's garden, I found my own.