Self-pity in its early stage is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.

In an unfamiliar culture, it is wise to offer no innovations, no suggestions, or lessons.

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.

The autobiographer looks at life through the lens of his or her own life and really uses herself or himself as the jumping-off place to examine the social mores and the economic and political climates. In a way, the autobiography becomes history as well as the story of one person, for it becomes the story of a family or the story of the state or nation.

I sustain myself with the love of family.

The Holy Spirit upon my left leads my feet without ceasing into the camp of the righteous and into the tents of the free.

Poetry is music written for the human voice.