I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time… there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.

Knowing what must be done does away with fear.

I thought of Emmett Till, and when the bus driver ordered me to move to the back, I just couldn’t move.

There is no future without education.

I knew someone had to take the first step. So I made up my mind not to move.

I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed. I had decided that I would have to know once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen.

I see the energy of young people as a real force for positive change.