You have to deal with the fact that your life is your life.

Most of the things that are asked of me as a representative black person, would suggest never are we equal Americans.

Anytime you see a turtle up on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.

Never completely encircle your enemy. Leave him some escape, for he will fight even more desperately if trapped.

I certainly wasn't seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its students. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me, asking questions. One was, "What's your alma mater?" I told him, "Books.

I wasn't going to be one of those people who died wondering what if? I would keep putting my dreams to the test - even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

In the bush, trust no one you don't know.