If I can't do what I want to do, then my job is to not do what I want to do. It's not the same thing, but it's the best thing I can do.

I’m a big fan of history—applying the lessons as well as the joys and sadness. If we pay attention, we would see how we affect each other. In terms of time, we are not that far from one another. If we were to look back a century, it would seem like a long time; but, if we look at it by decades then it’s only 10 years, and by generations it’s only five.

Show me someone not full of herself and I'll show you a hungry person.

The catchword I use with my classes is: The authority of the writer always overcomes the skepticism of the reader.

Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way.

Black Poetry is not for Black People...it is for everybody

The more you love someone the more he wants from you and the less you have to give since you've already given him your love.