Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better

Those of us who submitted or surrendered our ideas and dreams and identities to the 'leaders' must take back our rights, our identities, our responsibilities.

The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story...

For a person who grew up in the '30s and '40s in the segregated South, with so many doors closed without explanation to me, libraries and books said, 'Here I am, read me.' Over time I have learned I am at my best around books.

If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.

All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened.

I'm grateful to be of use. I will not be misused or abused, but I will be of use to anybody.

We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.

When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I'm trying for that. But I'm also trying for the language. I'm trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for wate it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.