Amsterdam was a great surprise to me. I had always thought of Venice as the city of canals; it had never entered my mind that I should find similar conditions in a Dutch town.

You are young, gifted, and Black. We must begin to tell our young, There's a world waiting for you, Yours is the quest that's just begun.

Every race and every nation should be judged by the best it has been able to produce, not by the worst.

The colored people of this country know and understand the white people better than the white people know and understand them.

My appearance was always good and my ability to play on the piano, especially ragtime, which was then at the height of its vogue, made me a welcome guest.

Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty. Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies; Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

This country can have no more democracy than it accords and guarantees to the humblest and weakest citizen.

Young man, young man, your arm's too short to box with God.

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered.

It’s no disgrace to be black, but it’s often very inconvenient.

It is strange how in some things honest people can be dishonest without the slightest compunction.

The problem with carnal anger and outrage is that it's one of the easiest sons to commit while convincing oneself that he is being faithful.

What are problems to a man who strongly believes there are effective solutions to all problems?

The first time you do anything, people always take a minute to try to figure it out, but once you witness it in person, the word starts to spread and it gains momentum year after year.

From infancy on, we are all spies; the shame is not this but that the secrets to be discovered are so paltry and few.

One of my philosophies as a director is to listen to other people's great ideas because they'll help make you better.

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Mosley is bigger than me. He's fast and his hand speed is still there. He's faster than most of my opponents. He's also preparing hard and he's also good, so we never underestimate our opponent.

specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart; this nullity imagines that it has attained a level of civilization never before achieved.

Emotions become more violent when expression is stifled.

The young are often accused of exaggerating their troubles; they do so, very often, in the hope of making some impression upon the inertia and the immovability of the selfish old.