It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we really are.
Joyce Carol OatesOne man's insanity is another man's genius; someday the world will recognize the genius in my insanity.
Joyce Carol OatesThe books I read I do enjoy, very much; otherwise I wouldn't read them. Most of them are for review, for the New York Review of Books, and substantial.
Joyce Carol OatesMy life is a very interior and solitary life. I tend not to care that much about external things.
Joyce Carol OatesMy parents inspired me by their example. They both grew up in the Depression, and both of them had to quit school when they were quite young to work, because there actually was no choice. So they've always impressed me with their resilience, their good spirits, their courage. I just remember them carrying on and just doing their lives. They really made a strong impression on me.
Joyce Carol Oates