Our grandfathers had to run, run, run. My generation's out of breath. We ain't running no more.

I also know that while I am black I am a human being, and therefore I have the right to go into any public place. White people didn't know that.Every time I tried to go into a place they stopped me

The philosophers Camus and Sartre raise the question whether or not a man can condemn himself.

The secret of life is to have no fear; it's the only way to function.

If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem. Racism is not a question of attitude; it’s a question of power.

It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.

Capitalism is a stupid system, a backward system