I was very lucky once I got started with a career. I happened to get some really good parts to play with some really good people to play with.

How are we going to get rid of racism? Stop talking about it!

I've travelled a lot, but I am essentially American. All my input has been American.

As long as you feel like a victim, you are one.

Growing up in Mississippi, I realized that it was separate and unequal and all that, but it was still a safe place.

Well, here’s a scientific question: Has anybody ever seen hard evidence? What we get is theories from our earlier prophets. Now, people who think that God invented us think that the Earth can’t be more than 6,000 years old. So I guess it’s a question of belief. My belief system doesn’t support a creator as such, as we can call God, who created us in His/Her/Its image.

My earrings are worth just enough to buy me a coffin if I die in a strange place. That was the reason why sailors used to wear them.