The mark of fear is not easily removed.

I have learned as much about writing about my people by listening to blues and jazz and spirituals as I have by reading novels.

Words mean nothing. Action is the only thing. Doing. That's the only thing.

I still don't even know if the sheriff will let me see him. And suppose he did; what then? What do I say to him? Do I know what a man is? Do I know how a man is supposed to die? I'm still trying to find out how a man should live. Am I supposed to tell someone how to die who has never lived?

I try to write something that would interest anybody and keep them turning the page. You must have a plot and good storyline.

The artist must be like a heart surgeon. He must approach something with sympathy, but with a sort of coldness and work and work until he finds some kind of perfection in his work. You can't have blood splashing all over the place. Things must be done very cleanly.

The mark of fear is not easily removed.