“The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families.”

“The definition of gumbo is almost as slippery as that of Creole. Just as gumbo can contain pretty much any kind of meat or seafood, Creole is a vague and inclusive term for native New Orleanians, who may be black or white, depending on whom you're asking.”

“It's the cynics who never get married.”

“We've been hearing about the death of the novel ever since the day after Don Quixote was published.”