I want to get into the educational DNA of American culture. I want 10 percent of the common culture, more or less, to be black.

In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it.

The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience.

The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge.

The thing about black history is that the truth is so much more complex than anything you could make up.

In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the saints are black.

We can revolutionize the attitude of inner city brown and black kids to learning. We need a civil rights movement within the African-American community.

I want to be a figure for prison reform. I think that the criminal justice system is rotten.

Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.

Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.

Well, certainly one of the ironies of the success of affirmative action is that the middle class within the black community no longer lives within 'black community' by and large.

If you want to be wise, learn wisdom from nature.

The devil prince of this world, but this world don’t last so long for mortal man.

Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptians were buried with their spices. I know which one I'm taking with me when I go.

Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.

Patience is the greatest of all virtues.

Because if the decisions you make about where you invest your blood, sweat, and tears are not consistent with the person you aspire to be, you’ll never become that person.

The worst nightmare for al Qaeda is to come into a community that feels supported and has hope.

Companies don't have ideas. Only people do. And what motivates people are the bonds of loyalty and trust they develop around each other.

The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change presents very serious global risks, and it demands an urgent global response.

life is not a race, but a shot on target: what counts is not the saving of time, but the ability to find a centre