I had to trust life and believe that life loved the person who dared to live it.

Through the centuries, we faced down death by daring to hope.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.

It's still scary every time I go back to the past. Each morning, my heart catches. When I get there, I remember how the light was, where the draft was coming from, what odors were in the air. When I write, I get all the weeping out.

Look for the beauty in things.

The hope, the hope that lives in the breast of the black American, is just so tremendous that it overwhelms me sometimes.