I don't think I knew any of my father's friends - male friends - by their real names. I remember them only by their nicknames.

What's interesting about writing is the invention, the creative thing. Writing about myself is a yawn.

You your own best thing, Sethe. You are.

A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom. Bleak sky is as seductive as sunshine, miniature orange trees without blossom or fruit are not defective; they are that.

At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough.

No one ever talks about the moment you found that you were white. Or the moment you found out you were black. That's a profound revelation. The minute you find that out, something happens. You have to renegotiate everything.

Listen up. Let me tell you something. A man ain’t a goddamn ax. Chopping, hacking, busting every goddamn minute of the day. Things get to him. Things he can’t chop down because they’re inside.