The only thing you should have to do is find work you love to do. And I can't imagine living without having loved a person. A man, in my case. It could be a woman, but whatever. I think, what I always tell kids when they get out of class and ask, 'What should I do now?' I always say, 'Keep a low overhead. You're not going to make a lot of money.' And the next thing I say: 'Don't live with a person who doesn't respect your work.' That's the most important thingโthat's more important than the money thing. I think those two things are very valuable pieces of information.
Grace PaleyI begin by writing paragraphs that donโt have an immediate relation to a plot. The sound of the story comes first.
Grace PaleyI read a lot. I liked a tremendous number of poets and writers. The person whose work I liked the most was Joyce.
Grace PaleyMy vocabulary is adequate for writing notes and keeping journals but absolutely useless for an active moral life.
Grace Paley