"I do what I want to do. It was a brash statement of(her)girlhood. Now she was an adult, the boast seemed quaint. For rarely do you know what you want. Even after you've done it you can't say clearly if that was what you'd wanted or just something that happened to you, like weather."

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Source: Joyce Carol Oates (2009). “I Am No One You Know: And Other Stories”, p.152, Zondervan

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Joyce Carol Oates

Author, Poet

Joyce Carol Oates is an acclaimed American author known for her deep psychological insights and exploration of identity in works like 'We Were the Mulvaneys.'

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Joyce Carol Oates Author, Poet

"If my favorite, most comfortable place is by our fireplace in cold weather, expedient places are on an airplane, in a waiting room or even waiting in line; frequently these days, while on the phone having been 'put on hold.'"

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