"In my time and neighborhood (and in my soul) there was only one standard by which a woman measured success: did some man want her?"

"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."

"There are two barriers that often prevent communication between the young and their elders. The first is middle-aged forgetfulness of the fact that they themselves are no longer young. The second is youthful ignorance of the fact that the middle aged are still alive."

"Teaching is the royal road to learning."

"My family has been in politics a long time in Los Angeles. We very much believe we are elected to represent the people. I mean, I am to give voice to, you know, the over half a million people I represent in my congressional district. I mean, that's the way it works."

"Many women cut back what had to be done at home by redefining what the house, the marriage and, sometimes, what the child needs. One woman described a fairly common pattern: I do my half. I do half of his half, and the rest doesn't get done."

"I was sent to a finishing school, which didn't last long when mother found out how badly chaperoned we were. Then I 'came out' before going to a domestic science school."

"If you have issues with family, friends, and people at work, try and solve these issues head on so you can move on and concentrate on having the life you want."