August Wilson Quotes

“Like you? I go out of here every morning… bust my butt…putting up with them crackers everyday…cause I like you? You about the biggest fool I ever saw. It’s my JOB. It’s my RESPONSIBILITY! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house… sleep on my bed clothes…fill you belly up with my food… cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not ‘cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I OWE a responsibility to you! Let’s get this straight right here… before it go along any further… I ain’t got to like you. Mr. Rand don’t five me money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he OWE me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn’t part of the bargain. Don’t try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I’m saying, boy?”

- August Wilson, Fences, 1986.”
― August Wilson, Fences

“Two trains, life and death.
Two trains, two tracks.

No one journey is the same,
no matter how we all may reach
that same final destination.”
― Shellen Lubin

“The prince's choice, to be or not to be.

The human choice, to love or not to love
while you're figuring out who to be,
how to be.

The choice, to do it with passion
or resistance...

This is what we struggle with”
― Shellen Lubin

“Two trains, going down two tracks,
two different paths,
millions of different journeys.

The choice is always to love or not to love.

What's it gonna be?”
― Shellen Lubin

“I know I got to eat. But I got to live too.”
― August Wilson, Fences - Screenplay

“Troy: "Then when I saw that gal [Alberta]...she firmed up my backbone. And I got to thinking that if I tried...I just might be able to steal second.”
― August Wilson, Fences