If you are in a country that is progressive, the woman is progressive. If you're in a country that reflects the consciousness toward the importance of education, it's because the woman is aware of the importance of education. But in every backward country you'll find the women are backward, and in every country where education is not stressed its because the women don't have education.

America has allowed white people to kill and brutalize those they don't like.

I don't advocate violence; but if a man steps on my toes, I'll step on his.

The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you'll get action.

You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you're making progress ... No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as I am concerned, as long as it is not shown to everyone of our people in this country, it doesn't exist for me.

Any time you see someone more successful than you are, they are doing something you aren't.

Do something for yourself, and then you will be recognized by the entire world as a man who has done for himself what others have done for themselves.