Artists are the radical voice of civilization.

My future depends mostly upon myself.

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

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

This United States Government should go down to Mississippi and protect my people. That is what should happen.

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.

Whether I am or am not a Communist is irrelevant. The question is whether American citizens, regardless of their political beliefs or sympathies, may enjoy their constitutional rights.