"Life, he realize, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile."

写作是为沉默者发声。

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.

没有什么能阻挡一个拥有正确心态的人实现目标；世界上没有什么能帮助一个心态错误的人。

I don’t think of myself as a writer who happens to be black. I think of myself as a black writer.

教育不是为了生活的准备，教育就是生活本身。

煤炭是我国的主体能源，在相当长时期内仍将是我国能源安全的基石。

我是个失败的诗人。也许每个小说家都想先写诗，发现自己做不到，然后尝试短篇小说，这是诗歌之后要求最高的形式。如果连这都失败了，他才会转向写小说。