I've done some things I wish I could erase. . . . I invented mistakes. But the mistakes must be seen in context, and they must be weighed along with the positives.

I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong that people and their hatred could never touch me.

My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking.

My handicap? Man, I am a one-eyed, black Jew! That's my handicap!

I have a respect for Elvis and my friendship. It ain't my business what he did in private. The only thing I want to know is, 'Was he my friend?', 'Did I enjoy him as a performer?', 'Did he give the world of entertainment something?' - and the answer is YES on all accounts. The other jazz just don't matter.

Talk about handicap - I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew.

Imitations only better the original.