“Passion is never enough; neither is skill.”

Literature, it seems to me, is wisdom.

The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.

A dream is just a nightmare with lipstick.

Today is always here,’ said Sethe. ‘Tomorrow, never.

You have to be a little tough, and rely on yourself. And tell people ‘No’.

To get to a place where you could love anything you chose – not to need permission for desire – well now that was freedom.

We mistook violence for passion, indolence for leisure, and thought recklessness was freedom.

You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.

A friend gathers all the pieces and gives them back in the right order.

If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.

Black boys became criminalized. I was in constant dread for their lives, because they were targets everywhere. They still are.

Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.

All important things are hard.

Black people’s music is in a class by itself and always has been.

I think some aspects of writing can be taught. Obviously, you can’t teach vision or talent. But you can help with comfort.

From my point of view, your life is already a miracle of chance waiting for you to shape its destiny.

Vibes change, Connections break.

People, you can never change the way they feel. Better let them do what they will. For they will, if you let them, steal your heart.

I will be that guy to change this sport, especially in the heavyweight division. A lot of people have lost interest. I’m the right man for the job… I want to make it bigger and better than it ever have been before.

A hero is someone right who doesn’t change.

People have built me up to be untouchable, unbeatable, invincible, and I’m not that. I am a man, and I am a winner, but that can change in a second.

I’m so used to changing time zones that I can sleep at any time. I’m rarely ever tossing and turning – if I am, it’s really a big deal.

We’re all going to change. Otherwise, it’s boring.

I try my best to learn from other people’s mistakes. I have a lot of respect for people who can change.