I am always talking about the human condition and about American society in particular: what it is like to be human, what makes us weep, what makes us fall and stumble and somehow rise and go on from darkness into darkness and that darkness carpeted.

In the fifties, you have your beauty as a treat. I thought that until I hit the sixties.In your sixties, life decides to reward you with certain kinds of profound appreciation, so that people name their children and schools and libraries after you! And you still have your sexuality and your sensuality. If you want your sexuality, you still have it.

People don't always remember what you say or even what you do, but they always remember how you make them feel.

Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.

In Stamps the segregation was so complete that most Black children didn't really, absolutely know what whites looked like.

Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'.