"The Citadel cherishes the belief that the more hardship endured by the young man, the higher the quality of the perso…"

"The Southern school superintendent is a kind of remote deity who breathes the purer air of Mount Parnassus. The teach…"

"Lightning flashed around the island; thunder played its favorite game of scaring the crap out of all the shivering mo…"

"Christ must do a lot of puking when he reflects upon the good works done in his name."

"There were these deep, serious thoughts I sometimes had to drive from my head like flocks of pesky starlings. I was t…"

"And in that instant was born the terrible awareness that life eventually broke every man, but in different ways and a…"

"I learned that politicians are not supposed to help people. They simply listen to people, nod their heads painfully, …"

"Teaching is a record of failures. But the glory of teaching is in the attempt."

"During the entire period of my banishment and trial, I wanted to tell Piedmont and Bennington that what was happening…"

"The best thing about a small town is that you grow up knowing everyone. It is also the worst thing."