The faces and the tactics of the leaders may change every four years, or two, or one, but the people go on forever.

I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom

I did a long concert tour in England and Denmark and Sweden, and I also sang for the Soviet people, one of the finest musical audiences in the world.

The talents of an artist, small or great, are God-given. They've nothing to do with the private person; they're nothing to be proud of. They're just a sacred trust... Having been given, I must give. Man shall not live by bread alone, and what the farmer does I must do. I must feed the people - with my songs.

Artists are the gatekeepers of truth.

The patter of their feet as they walk through Jim Crow barriers to attend school is the thunder of the marching men of Joshua, and the world rocks beneath their tread.

In my music, my plays, my films, I want to carry always this central idea: to be African.