On the Record

Isaac Bashevis Singer, 81, Nobel-prizewinning storyteller, appraising his own accomplishments: "I've always felt I've never done well. I've always felt I should have done better. It was true when I was 30. It is true at 81."

Rita Coolidge, 40, singer, on why she has decided to take more career chances: "Too often, the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks, and shut off the burglar alarm, it's too late."