Putting down on paper what you have to say is an important part of writing, but the words and ideas have to be shaped and cleaned, cleaned as severely as a dog cleans a bone, cleaned until there's not a shred of anything superfluous.

If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can't be erased.

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

Laugh and dare to try to love somebody, starting with yourself. You must love yourself first, of course, and you must protect yourself so that nobody overrides you, overrules you, or steps on you. Just say, 'Just a minute. I'm worth everything, dear.'

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

If you're a human being, you can attempt to do what other human beings have done. We don't understand talent any more than we understand electricity.

The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.