The legacies that parents and church and teachers left to my generation of Black children were priceless but not material: a living faith reflected in daily service, the discipline of hard work and stick-to-itiveness, and a capacity to struggle in the face of adversity.

I've always hated being hemmed in or seeing anybody being hemmed in. Even when I was the smallest child, I couldn't bear being told I couldn't drink at a so-called white drinking fountain.

The legacy I want to leave is a child-care system that says that no kid is going to be left alone or left unsafe.

To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can't do anything right for a number of years, parents become popular again when kids reach 20.

Whoever said anyone has the right to give up.

I never thought I was breaking a glass ceiling. I just had to do what I had to do, and it never occurred to me not to.

Be a good ancestor. Stand for something bigger than yourself. Add value to the Earth during your sojourn.