What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?
Ralph EllisonBy and large, the critics and readers gave me an affirmed sense of my identity as a writer. You might know this within yourself, but to have it affirmed by others is of utmost importance. Writing is, after all, a form of communication.
Ralph EllisonThe clock ticked with empty urgency, as though trying to catch up with the time. In the street a siren howled.
Ralph Ellison