“Your being born makes your parents God. You owe them your life, and they can control you. Then puberty makes you Satan, just because you want something better.”

“Your folks are god, you love them and you want to make them happy but you still want to make up your own rules.”

“So this is why I write. Because most times, your life isn’t funny the first time through. Most times, you can hardly stand it. That’s why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. And writing makes you look back. Because since you can’t control life, at least you can control your version.”

“That’s the American Dream: to make your life into something you can sell.”

“That's why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. You can't control life, at least you can control your version.”

“Parents are like God because you wanna know they're out there, and you want them to think well of you, but you really only call when you need something.”

“First your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life.”