"Part of what has made Butler so beloved is the work that preceded these honors: the way she envisioned her own future and encouraged herself to keep going despite the very real obstacles in her path. She recorded her goals and aspirations in her personal journals in terms that have since resonated across the decades:

I will buy a beautiful home in an excellent neighborhood.

I will help poor Black youngsters broaden their horizons.

I will travel whenever and wherever in the world that I choose.

My books will be read by millions of people!

So be it! See to it!

With great discipline, she engaged honestly with a set of questions about who she was and where she was going. Her responses were intended for her publisher — and ultimately for the world — but they were written especially for herself."

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/17/arts/octavia-butler-vision-kindred.html