My husband's family was terribly refined. Within their circle you could know Beethoven, but God forbid if you were Beethoven.

I never for one minute questioned what I had to do. I did not think for one minute that I didn't have what I had. If just didn't dawn on me. And so if you know what you have, then you know that there's nobody on earth that can affect you.

Character is the architect of the being.

What we call reality is an agreement that people have arrived at to make life more livable.

But when I fell in love with black, it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color. It was an acceptance. Because black encompasses all colors. Black is the most aristocratic color of all.... You can be quiet and it contains the whole thing.

It's a hell of a thing to be born, and if you're born you're at least entitled to your own self.

You must create your own world. I am responsible for my world.