The blues are important primarily because they contain the cultural expression and the cultural response to blacks in America and to the situation that they find themselves in. And contained in the blues is a philosophical system at work. And as part of the oral tradition, this is a way of passing along information.

Freedom is heavy. You got to put your shoulder to freedom. Put your shoulder to it and hope your back holds up.

The simpler you say it, the more eloquent it is.

All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.

I cried a river of tears but he was too heavy to float on them. So I dragged him with me these years across an ocean.

Blues is the bedrock of everything I do. All the characters in my plays, their ideas and their attitudes, the stance that they adopt in the world, are all ideas and attitudes that are expressed in the blues.

What comes forth from you as an artist cannot be controlled. But you have responsibilities as a global citizen. Your history dictates your duty. And by writing about black people, you are not limiting yourself. The experiences of African-Americans are as wide open as God's closet.