I don't very often read novels.

When you walk with someone, something unspoken happens. Either you match their pace or they match yours.

Of all my father's teachings, the most enduring was the one about the true measure of a man. That true measure was how well he provided for his children, and it stuck with me as if it were etched in my brain.

I defend myself by improving myself.

I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then passed me the best of her.

In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.

So I'm OK with myself, with history, my work, who I am and who I was.