“I think that is also the secret of writing: attitude. Hope, unyielding faith in the enterprise. If only I hold my mouth right, keep a clear fix on what I believe is true while I make up my stories, surely I will end up saying what I mean. Then, if I offend someone, it won’t be an accidental casualty. More likely, it will be because we actually disagree. I can live with that.”

– Barbara Kingsolver; High Tide in Tucson