As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else for us to learn, except possibly algebra.

My objectives are very limited. I want to do the best I can with the talent God gave me. I hope to goodness that every novel I do gets better and better, not worse and worse.

Wordsworth was right when he said that we trail clouds of glory as we come into the world, that we are born with a divine sense of perception. As we grow older, the world closes in on us, and we gradually lose the freshness of viewpoint that we had as children. That is why I think children should get to know this country while they are young.

I do much of my creative thinking while golfing. If people know you're working at home they think nothing of walking in for a cup of coffee, but wouldn't dream of interrupting on the golf course.

Folks were doin' a lot of runnin' that night

I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.

I'm still old-fashioned. I love dusty old books and libraries.