“I found myself jealous of the people who wrote the books. They were dead and they were still taking up my time. Who did they think they were?”

“there were these people
on the ground,
they were reaching up their
arms and trying to pull me
down
but
they couldn't do
it.

I felt like pissing on
them.
they were so
jealous.
all they had to do was
to work their way
slowly up to it
as I had
done.

such people think
success grows on
trees.

you and I,
we know
better.”

“I have seen messed-up people of forty who still seemed salvageable, and children of six or seven who almost surely were not.”

“I had many different assignments and I was doing things that I thought were important… no, I didn't either: I didn't think they were important. But I found out afterwards when I read up on my history that some of the things that I did were quite important.”

“Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.”

“I flung Churchgoing over early in life, from religious conviction. I did not believe in Church doctrine, as preached by the parson. I did not believe either in ordering myself "lowly and reverently to all my betters," because they were never able to tell me who my betters were. Those they called my betters I did not think my betters in any respect.”

“there were crimes and quarrels, alongside kindness and cooperation; there were people who loved each other and people who did not; it was a human world.”

“Christine O'Donnell: I dabbled in witchcraft, but I never joined a coven; I did. I did.
Jaime Kennedy: How were you a witch?
Christine O'Donnell: Because I dabbled into witchcraft, because I hung around people who were, who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up, I know what they told me they did.”

“There were times when other people said I was on the short list, but as time passed and nothing happened, I didn’t expect the recognition would come because people who were familiar with my work were slowly dying off.”

“I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really.”