The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.

We must be warriors in the struggle against ignorance

Until blacks and whites see each other as brother and sister, we will not have parity. It's very clear.

Modesty is a learned affectation. And as soon as life slams the modest person against the wall, that modesty drops.

If you have done the best you can do and if you have gotten all you could extract from something, you have given all you had to give, then the time has come when you can do no more than say thank you and move on.

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.

If I wanted to write, I had to be willing to develop a kind of concentration found mostly in people awaiting execution. I had to learn technique and surrender my ignorance.