“There's nothing like a shovel full of dirt to encourage literacy.”

“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought of opening a novel before. There's nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy.”

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

“It’s always encouraging to be told that it is intellectually acceptable to read the sorts of things that you like to read anyway.”

“The ochre-yellow linoleum floor hasn't been scrubbed for some time; splotches of dirt bloom on it like grey pressed flowers.”

“Stick a shovel in the ground almost anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light.”

“...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.”