Things seem to fall apart inevitably.

I'm still divided in my principles and what I think is right and what I'm actually able to do, whether talking about writing or being a citizen or being a husband or being a father. And I'm trying to get better.

I'm not a fearful person, but I'm a pretty pessimistic person. So some of my best times are waiting, anticipating. That's the way it always has been with me, whether anticipating a ball game, anticipating a relationship.

If I had only a negative side of things to present, I think I would have much less of a drive to do it. Because what would be the point?

That's one of the beauties, I think, of African American life. There was this thing called slavery and adjustments were made. It literally destroyed millions, but it didn't destroy everybody and it didn't destroy the inner lives of all the people who experienced it.

Things seem to fall apart inevitably.

There are still horrible things that go on because of the myth of race, but we don't have to succumb totally.