“That's why people read books. You get to have the real conversation, a...” — David Shields Quote

“That's why people read books. You get to have the real conversation, as opposed to the pseudo-conversations we have in everyday life.”

“Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.”

“In the NBA, as in nowhere else in America, white people are utterly beholden to black people, and they're not about to let us off that easily. It's a kind of very mild payback for the last 500 years.”

“I was never one to feed into what the media was saying about us, especially out there in Portland because I was so in-touch with the people everyday.”

“If you've got children it's a hell of an everyday job. From a business point of view, children and husbands slow you down.”

“Mental illness is the last frontier. The gay thing is part of everyday life now on a show like 'Modern Family,' but mental illness is still full of stigma. Maybe it is time for that to change.”