Just try to be yourself and resist complacency and ignorance. All you can do is work, work; work and be disciplined.

You need to react. That's the absurdity of Twitter. You can react without thinking now.

Face your reality. You, black or white, are not innocent anymore. Either you have the courage to face it or you will go down together with the whole idea of the American Dream.

[James] Baldwin was a revelation for me, the kind of revelation that follows you all your life because you can go back to it. It's not just about stories. It's about philosophy. It's about criticizing the world. It's about deconstructing the world around you.

Today, I don't even think that people like [James Baldwin] are possible. He would not have that much room.

The role James Baldwin played in my life is incommensurable as stated above. He helped, along with a few others, to shape the man that I am today. My debt to him is invaluable.

There are only one or two geniuses every century.