I often tell my students that fiction is about desire in one way or another. The older I get, the more I understand that life is generally the pursuit of desires. We want and want and oh how we want. We hunger.

— Roxane Gay

I read too many romance novels during my formative years. I have a penchant for romantic comedies. Furthermore, I understand why 'Romeo and Juliet' came to such a pass.

— Roxane Gay

I support anything that broadens the message of gender equality and tempers the stigma of the feminist label. We run into trouble, though, when we celebrate celebrity feminism while avoiding the actual work of feminism.

— Roxane Gay

I think the world is ambivalent about feminism. So I can't blame college students. I think they're reflecting the greater culture's attitude toward feminism. So what I can do is, in ways that are appropriate, advocate for feminism and help the students learn what feminism is about.

— Roxane Gay

I try to learn better, do better. I have no idea how I got to be the one at the front of the classroom, the one who gets to be in charge of things. Most of the time, I feel like the kid who gets to sit at the adult table for the first time at Thanksgiving. I'm not sure which fork to use. My feet can't reach the floor.

— Roxane Gay

It's an amusing idea to some, this feminism thing - this audacious notion that women should be able to move through the world as freely, and enjoy the same inalienable rights and bodily autonomy, as men. At least, that's the impression given when feminism and feminists are all too often the targets of lazy humor.

— Roxane Gay

I very much like men. They're interesting to me, and I mostly wish they would be better about how they treat women, so I wouldn't have to call them out so often.

— Roxane Gay

I want characters to do bad things and get away with their misdeeds. I want characters to think ugly thoughts and make ugly decisions. Furthermore, I want characters to make mistakes and put themselves first without apologizing for it.

— Roxane Gay

I was always a good girl. I was a straight-A student, top of my class. Furthermore, I did as I was told. Furthermore, I was polite to my elders. Furthermore, I was good to have my siblings. Furthermore, I went to church. It was very easy to hide how very bad I was becoming from my family, from everyone. Being good is the best way to be bad.

— Roxane Gay

I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most folks where we've lived our whole lives don't trust too much intelligence in a woman. There is also the problem of my eyes--they don't hide anything. If I don't care for a person, my eyes make it plain. I don't care for most. Folks are generally comfortable with the small lies they tell each other. They don't know what to do with someone like me, who mostly doesn't bother with small lies.

— Roxane Gay