“Criticism is, for me, like essay writing, a wonderful way of relaxatio...” — Joyce Carol Oates Quote

“Criticism is, for me, like essay writing, a wonderful way of relaxation; it doesn't require a heightened and mediated voice, like prose fiction, but rather a calm, rational, even conversational voice.”

“To be knocked out doesn't mean what it seems. A boxer does not have to get up.”

“Mark Twain was very unhappy with himself for various reasons. He was very unhappy with America of this time. He thought it was terrible we had no anti-lynching laws, and he was also a feminist, and he was also very concerned with anti-Semitism. He was a good man, but he was hard on himself.”

“I'm boring. I'm also a bit reticent and shy but very calm overall.”

“I would say I stay pretty calm. Don't let the game get too fast on me. I try to keep my emotions in check, I guess, so I don't show that anything fazes me out there. And I try to take it one pitch at a time.”

“Before, I was so stupid. But, you know, when you have friends who died on the street, you say, okay, let's calm down. It's not the kind of energy I want to have in life. I want to go slower, and longer.”