[To the patronizing train conductor who had twice said, 'Auntie, give me your ticket':] Which of my sister's sons are you?

The drums of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth.

I leave you love. I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you racial dignity.

Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.

The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.

From the first, I made my learning, what little it was, useful every way I could.

Knowledge is the prime need of the hour.