As early as the autumn of 1862, I was made very happy by being sent to school.

In such a condition of affairs, the practical difference between the abolitionist and the sympathizer, to the man who lost his slave and could not recover it, was very nebulous.

In those days, slavery was not looked upon, even in Quaker Philadelphia, with the shudder and abhorrence one feels towards it now.

John Brown was tried for treason, murder, and inciting slaves to insurrection.

I was a tried seaman when, for the first time, I set foot upon the soil of my country, and took up my residence where my people had lived for over two hundred years.

In the year 1857, passing through Washington on our return from the annual visit to Philadelphia, I had the distinguished honor of visiting a President for the first time.

However the Southern man may have been master of the negro, there were compensatory processes whereby certain negroes were masters of their masters' children.

In all her history, from the formation of the federal government until the hour of secession, no year stands out more prominently than the year 1858 as evidencing the national patriotism of Virginia.

The first American ancestor of our name was a younger son of these old Devonshire people, and came to the Virginia colony in the reign of Charles the First.

THE autumn of 1850 brought an event freighted with deep significance to me. My mother died.

My mother was a Northern woman, daughter of Hon. John Sergeant, a distinguished lawyer, and for many years representative in Congress from Philadelphia.

When he time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don't make any fuss.

I've heard all kinds of crazy rumors about myself. I've even heard that I'm pregnant! I've become real good about laughing things off - I figure I'd better get used to it.

In the Far East, studying yoga is comparable to a mixture of attending one of the best Western universities, and of being an intrepid explorer.

The less there is of you, the more you experience the sublime.

All artists are self-sacrificing human beings, and to become an artist is nothing but to devote oneself to the subterranean gods.

I choose to be more prepared than I'm expected to be.

My mother made us eat all sorts of vitamins and supplements, until one day I nearly choked on part of The Sunday Times.

Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother.

Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.

Nothing is wrong with California that a rise in the ocean level wouldn't cure.