It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone hadn't invented the hyphen

The master says it’s a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it’s a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there’s anyone in the world who would like us to live.

Where did I get the nerve to think I could handle American teenagers? Ignorance. That's where I got the nerve.

Teacher? I never dreamed I could rise so high in the world

I'm more interested in writing than in performing.

It’s lovely to know that the world can’t interfere with the inside of your head.

When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.