That was the overwhelming thing to me, the joy of carrying my portable typewriter to an event and trying to describe it.

A true Southerner will never say in 2-3 words what can better be said in 10-12.

I did stories about unexpected encounters, back roads, small towns and ordinary folk, sometimes doing something a little extraordinary.

I don't think I had a reputation as a hard worker, but inside I was always being eaten up by the pressures.

I gained a great appreciation for what I would call the collective achievement of the country. I began thinking of America as a much more just and humane place than I would have thought if I'd been covering the civil rights struggle.

The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.

You never heard anybody ask 'Elvis who?'