So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.

How can you thank a man for giving you what's already yours? How then can you thank him for giving you only part of what's already yours?

We're not Americans, we're Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn't land on Plymouth Rock - that rock landed on us.

History is not hatred.

If I may add, for instance, [Martin Luther] King and these others will say that they are fighting for the Negro to have equal job opportunity. How can people, a group of people, such as our people, who own no factories, have equal job opportunities competing against the race that owns the factories?The only way the two can have equal job opportunities is if black people have factories as, as well as white people have factories.

Any time the negro becomes involved in mature political action, then the resistance of the politicians who benefit from the exploited political system as it now stands will be forced to put, exercise more violent action to deprive the negro of his mature political action.

For one to control one's thoughts and feelings means one can actually control one's atmosphere and all who walk into its sphere of influence.