I thought, maybe the difference between white folks and colored is just this matter of reading and writing. I made up my mind I would know my letters.

Cease to be a drudge, seek to be an artist.

The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.

You white folks have long been eating the white meat of the chicken. We Negroes are now ready for some of the white meat instead of the dark meat.

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

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.

Studying goes deeper than mere reading. There are surface nuggets to be gathered but the best of the gold is underneath, and it takes time and labor to secure it.