Rachel Zadok

"Human is human. We’re blood, bone, emotion, piss, shit, love. Skin colour shouldn’t be what trips you up as a writer – it’s just skin after all, it’s our experiences while we’re here that are important, and all human beings, regardless of race, are equipped with the capacity for empathy and understanding."

"First rule of writing is to read everything you can get your hands on to fill your head with ideas. And then, once you have your story down, let it rest. Then revise, revise, revise."

"We used to believe that the highway went somewhere, that over the horizon was escape, places we'd never been and thought we wanted to go."

"Joe Saviour once told me that every life has a legend. Before the soul comes down to earth, God seals a story inside it. To know your purpose, you need to unravel the mystery of that legend."

"Shame-shame, Thuli's shame, all the same, shame-shame."

"Sizane, you gave your girls the wrong names. Thulisile means 'quiet one' but she talks, talks, talks..."