The unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.

Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.

[To become a poet] The most important thing is to pay attention. The next would probably be to read; it's so important to pay attention. It keeps you from being bored, and I might add it keeps you from being boorish.

I wish that she had had a black loon because I don't think that Nina [Simone] did. I have always had - I've been very fortunate - a group of little old ladies that I love and who love me, and who turned and to whom I turn at different times.

A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked... . We as black people, we as people, we as the human species have got to get used to the fact we're not going to be right most of the time, not even when our intentions are good. We've got to go naked and see what happens.

Iife/personality must be taken as a total entity. All of your life is all of your life, and no one incident stands alone.

You must invent your own games and teach us old ones how to play.