Beneatha: You didn't tell us what Alaiyo means... for all I know, you might be calling me Little Idiot or something... ... Asagai: It means... it means One for Whom Bread--Food--Is Not Enough.

A woman who is willing to be herself and pursue her own potential runs not so much the risk of loneliness, as the challenge of exposure to more interesting men - and people in general.

Though it be a thrilling and marvellous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so - doubly dynamic - to be young, gifted and black.

One cannot live with sighted eyes and feeling heart and not know and read of the miseries which affect the world.

The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely.

There is always something left to love. And if you haven't learned that, you ain't learned nothing.

Never be afraid to sit a while and think.

I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care.

Do I remain a revolutionary? Intellectually -- without a doubt. But am I prepared to give my body to the struggle or even my comforts? This is what I puzzle about.

This is one of the glories of man, the inventiveness of the human mind and the human spirit: whenever life doesn't seem to give an answer, we create one.

The grim possibility is that she who 'hides her brains' will, more than likely, end up with a mate who is only equal to a woman with 'hidden brains' or none at all.

A belief is simply a thought that seems true to YOU.

Adolescence is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again.(From 'In Those Bygone Years, The Girl We All Went After' the novel)

My prophetic task would be twofold: to stand up to him, and to stand by him. To awaken his conscience, and to salve the pain this would cause him.

When you learn a Bruce Springsteen song, it's like learning to ride a bike. You don't forget it.

So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force.

I believe that I am some sort of fiction writer and I'm using myself in my work because I'm the person I'm most convenient to use!

There's something insane about this business - about the cycle of making albums and going on tour to promote them.

I mean, Emily Harris was his wife.And she seemed to resent his leadership, but on the other hand, she felt like a good soldier, that he had to be the leader.

Your preciousness lies in your essence; it cannot be lost by anything that happens.