“I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know.”

“I never learned hate at home or shame. I had to go to school for that.”

“I don't want to go to school and learn solemn things.”

“What did you learn in school today,Dear little boy of mine?What did you learn in school today,Dear little boy of mine?I learned that Washington never told a lie.I learned that soldiers seldom die.I learned that everybody's free.And that's what the teacher said to me.That's what I learned in school today.That's what I learned in school.”

“What is my life for and what am I going to do with it? I don't know and I'm afraid. I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”

“For me, that emotional payoff is what it’s all about. I want you to laugh or cry when you read a story...or do both at the same time. I want your heart, in other words. If you want to learn something, go to school.”