To realise our dreams we must decide to wake up.

When I was a child and they burned me out of my home, I was frightened and I ran away. Eventually I ran far away. It was to a place called France. Many of you have been there, and many have not. But I must tell you, ladies and gentlemen, in that country I never feared. It was like a fairyland place.

The old Catholic parties hounded me with a Christian hatred from station to station, city to city, one stage to another.

I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States, because of that terror of discrimination.

The white imagination is sure something when it comes to blacks.

I spent 30 minutes each morning rubbing my body with half a lemon to lighten my skin.

One dance had made me the most famous colored woman in the world.