Mama learned to laugh with them, before they could laugh at her, and to do it so well no one could be sure what she really thought or felt.

The only magic we have is what we make in ourselves, the muscles we build up on the inside, the sense of belief we create from nothing.

Babies change things, open doors you thought were shut, close others. Make you into something you never been.

People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if you don't.

... survival is the least of my desires.

I have wanted everything as a writer and a woman, but most of all a world changed utterly by my revelations.

Gravy is the simplest, tastiest, most memory-laden dish I know how to make: a little flour, salt and pepper, crispy bits of whatever meat anchored the meal, a couple of cups of water or milk and slow stirring to break up lumps.