247 Quotes by James McBride

You have to be able to toss the thing out. You can't fall in love with your characters, and you have to know when to fight - and when to quit.

I was in a special class in high school for truants. They made us stay together all day. Once a week, they would send us to a guidance counselor. He would sit me in his office and he would try to talk to me.

Spike Lee listens a lot. He's one of the quietest creative people I've ever met.

My wife and kids like the quiet and the countryside - I still find that kind of quiet hard to listen to.

Everybody knew James Brown. Every musician dreamed of being in his band.

If you meet your heroes, you're always going to be disappointed. Frederick Douglass was a great man, but would I want my daughter to marry him? Probably not. That doesn't mean that I don't think he's a great man.

I cannot recall any moment of clarity about becoming a writer. I always liked to read. That's what did it.

As far as making a living, if plumbing earned more, I'd probably do it. At least you can leave the job at home once the tools are put away. A writer works in his mind 24/7.

We don't know who John Brown was, and in many ways, his work shaped where we are today. He was a Pennsylvanian. He was the prototypical Yankee who fought back and suffered in doing so.