When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em. No... you had the right answer this afternoon, but the wrong reasons. Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they’re not attracting attention with it. Hotheadedness isn’t.

I don't hafta take his sass

Try fighting with your head for a change... it's a good one, even if it does resist learning.

You can choose your friends, but you sho' can't choose your family.

You can pet him, Mr. Arthur. He's asleep.

There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible.

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.