Strangely enough, the first ...

Strangely enough, the first character in Fried Green Tomatoes was the cafe, and the town. I think a place can be as much a character in a novel as the people.
 Fannie Flagg

Quotes from the same author

The line between the public life and the private life has been erased, due to the rapid decline of manners and courtesy. There is a certain crudeness and crassness that has suddenly become accepted behavior, even desirable.
 Fannie Flagg
Being a successful person is not necessarily defined by what you have achieved, but by what you have overcome.
 Fannie Flagg