“It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the unexpectedness of both.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“It's gonna hurt, now," said Amy. "anything dead coming back to life hurts.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“The human body is robust. It can gather strength when it's in mortal danger.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Birth, life, and death― each took place on the hidden side of a leaf. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Unlike a snake or a bear, a dead nigger could not be skinned for profit and was not worth his own dead… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Looking at Milkman in those nighttime talks, they yearned for something. Some word from him that would rekindle the dream and stop… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
There in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Sunk in the grass of an empty lot on a spring Saturday, I split the stems of milkweed and thought about ants… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“She banged her knuckles until they ached to get the attention of the living flesh behind the glass, and would have smashed… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Well, feel this, why don't you? Feel how it feels to have a bed to sleep in and somebody there not worrying… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“They did not believe death was accidental-life might be, but death was deliberate. They did not believe Nature was ever askew-only inconvenient...The… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the unexpectedness of both. In sorting it all out, he hit on… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Suspended between the nastiness of life and the meanness of the dead, she couldn't get interested in leaving life or living it,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
One of the monstrous things that slavery in this country caused was the breakup of families. I mean, physical labor, horrible; beatings,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
When you first start writing-and I think it's true for a lot of beginning writers-you're scared to death that if you don't… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Dying was OK because it was sleep and there wasn't no gray ball in death, was there? Was there? She would have… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“It sounded old. Deserve. Old and tired and beaten to death. Deserve. Now it seemed to him that he was always saying… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it? — Toni Morrison Copy Share
There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you. — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share
