I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.

The decent thing to do is to get rid of some of this money.

I don’t know who my parents were. I know nothing about my inheritance. I could be Jewish; I could be part Negro; I could be Irish; I could be Russian. I am spiritually a mix anyway, but I did have a solid childhood fortunately, because of some wonderful women who brought me up. I never had a father or a man in the house, and that was a loss...

The sense of belonging is one of the great gifts men get in battle.

I do believe that everyone growing up faces differential opportunities. With me, it was books and travel and some good teachers.

A writer can make a fortune in America, but he can't make a living.

I've spent my life trying to be better than I was, and I am a brother to all who share the same aspiration.