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.

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.

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.

Ingratitude produces pride while gratitude produces humility.

You have only one model, Jesus. Follow, follow, follow him, step by step, imitating him, sharing his life in every way.

Without confidence, there is no friendship.

Big news from last night's Republican debate, you guys. It turns out George Bush was actually the smart Texas governor.

If you wish to form a clear judgment on your friends, consult your dreams.

I don't confuse greatness with perfection. To be great anyhow is the higher achievement.

Revolution is a drama of passion. We did not win the people over by appealing to reason but by developing hope, trust, fraternity.

Single motherhood is a reality for a lot of women in my age group and the time difficulties in their lives are universal.

He looked like someone with a steerage ticket on the titanic. Somebody who'd be standing in line at Ellis Island. Undiluted and old-blooded. Also cute.

I got out of high school, bought a recording studio and started operating it as an engineer and a producer.