I told my kids when they were little, 'Look, kids, your mother and I are screwing you up somehow. We don't understand how, or we wouldn't do it. But we're parents. So somehow we're damaging you, and I want you to know that early. So just ignore me when I go to that part of my parenting.' Pat Conroy damageearlyignore share on social
I hated my father long before I knew there was a word for hate. Pat Conroy fatherhateknow Change image and share on social
A family is too frail a vessel to contain the risks of all the warring impulses expressed when such a group meets on common ground. Pat Conroy commonexpressfamily Change image and share on social
I mark the reading of 'Look Homeward, Angel' as one of the pivotal events of my life. It starts off with the single greatest, knock-your-socks-off first page I have ever come across in my careful reading of world literature. Pat Conroy angelcarefulevent share on social
I meet kids now who become novelists, poets, write for the theater and movies, who were simply inspired by what they saw during the Spoleto Festival. Pat Conroy festivalinspirekid Change image and share on social
The great thing about all my siblings is we all agree we had a horrendous childhood. It's not like it doesn't affect us now; it affects us every day, in everything we do. Pat Conroy affectagreechildhood Change image and share on social
I'm not the lovable, wonderful, tenderhearted grandfather that you read about in books. I'm grouchy and curmudgeonly, and I have a lot of rules. Pat Conroy bookcurmudgeonlygrandfather Change image and share on social
To Southerners like my mother, 'Gone With the Wind' was not just a book; it was an answer, a clenched fist raised to the North, an anthem of defiance. Pat Conroy answeranthembook Change image and share on social
The most powerful words in English are 'Tell me a story,' words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of language, the continuity of the species, the taproot of our humanity, our singularity, and art itself. Pat Conroy artcomplexitycontinuity share on social
When my novel 'Beach Music' came out in 1995, I had included a couple of recipes in the book and had tried to impart some of my love of Roman cuisine and the restaurants of Rome. Pat Conroy beachbookcouple Change image and share on social
