Libraries...house our dreams.

I think it's the strength of her music, using art to make a statement. I think it really is. It was not a cheap gift. The gift was an expensive gift for Nina [Simone]. Diamonds are expensive. Her music was expensive. She paid for it, but I think it's her greatest gift.

History is wonderful. We have so much we can learn if we would quit making ideology out of history, and just deal with what happened.

Poems don't have to rhyme... Poems are about beauty and emotion; in other words poems are about feelings.

Schools should serve breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. No sugared drinks, no fast type food.

The poet can only write the poems; it takes the reader to complete the meaning.

I like what they're doing. I think they're doing a good job, and I know that a lot of people are upset by them. These are great young men and women, and they're bold, and they are saying to America, "Something's going to change." I'm very proud of them.