By striving so mightily to accomplish specific goals on behalf of one segment of humanity, she [Toni Morrison] went beyond them to create literary wonders capable of enriching the lives of not just her own people, but of all people.

When a reader enters the pages of a book of poetry, he or she enters a world where dreams transform the past into knowledge made applicable to the present, and where visions shape the present into extraordinary possibilities for the future.

The thorn is a bridge spanning the muddy depths of agony and sorrow so that one may on the other side dance to the drums of the rose of joy.

In a world gushing blood day and night, you never stop mopping up pain.

Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.

The study of history empowers nations and individuals with an ability to avoid errors of the past and lay foundations for victories in the future.

First steps are always the hardest but until they are taken the notion of progress remains only a notion and not an achievement.