Ordinarily, a person leaving a courtroom with a conviction behind him would wear a somber face. But I left with a smile. I knew that I was a convicted criminal, but I was proud of my crime.

You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.

Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.

The Negro is the child of two cultures - Africa and America. The problem is that in the search for wholeness all too many Negroes seek to embrace only one side of their natures.

Hate destroys the very structure of the personality of the hater.

I've decided to stick with love.