In spite of the haze of speculation it is still something of a shock to find myself here coming to terms with an enormous trust placed in my hands and with the inevitable sense of inadequacy that goes with that.

Much literary criticism comes from people for whom extreme specialization is a cover for either grave cerebral inadequacy or terminal laziness the latter being a much cherished aspect of academic freedom.

Before I was married I didn't consider my failure to manage even basic hand tools a feminist inadequacy. I thought it had more to do with being Jewish. The Jews I knew growing up didn't do 'do-it-yourself.' When my father needed to hammer something he generally used his shoe and the only real tool he owned was a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.