“Rap's conscious response to the poverty and oppression of U.S. blacks ...” — David Foster Wallace Quote

“Rap's conscious response to the poverty and oppression of U.S. blacks is like some hideous parody of sixties black pride.”

“Fiction's about what it is to be a human being.”

“To be willing to sort of die in order to move the reader, somehow. Even now I'm scared about how sappy this'll look in print, saying this.”

“Blacks' problems lie not in the heads of white people but rather in the wasted and incompletely fulfilled lives of too many black people.”

“Blacks have had to learn to protect themselves by being cynical but not cynical enough to slam the door on potential opportunities. We go through life walking a tightrope to prevent too much disillusionment.”

“You don't actually have control of the position people want you to be in. If they say, 'You king of the blacks,' you're king of the blacks - whether you like it or not.”