“In the cool afternoon the fiend from hell specifically sent to lovers arrived at Janie's ear. Doubt.”

“They plan and they fix and they do, and then some kitchen-dwelling fiend slips a scorchy, soggy, tasteless mess into their pots and pans…So when the bread didn’t rise, and the fish wasn’t quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears and told her about her brains before he stalked on back to the store.”

“Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.”

“So Janie waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time.”

“Dis love! Dat’s just whut’s got us uh pullin’ and haulin’ and sweatin’ and doin’ from can’t see in de mornin’ till can’t see at night." Nanny to Janie”

“Everytime Ah see uh patch uh roses uh somethin' oversportin' theyselves makin' out they pretty, Ah tell 'em 'Ah want yuh tuh see mah Janie sometime.' You must let de flowers see yuh sometimes, heah, Janie?”

“Nanny's words made Janie's kiss across the gatepost seem like a manure pile after a rain”