Quotes by Joyce Carol Oates

"The worst cynicism: a belief in luck."

Share Copy

"Primarily, 'Black Girl/White Girl' is the story of two very different, yet somehow 'fated' girls; for Genna, her 'friendship' with Minette is the most haunting of her life, though it is one-sided and ends in tragedy."

Share Copy

"Obviously the imagination is fueled by emotions beyond the control of the conscious mind."

Share Copy

"The relationship between parents and children, but especially between mothers and daughters, is tremendously powerful, scarcely to be comprehended in any rational way."

Share Copy

"Boxing is a celebration of the lost religion of masculinity all the more trenchant for its being lost."

Share Copy

"I was brought up to be sympathetic toward others."

Share Copy

"Night comes to the desert all at once, as if someone turned off the light."

Share Copy