Man cannot live without some knowledge of the purpose of life. If he can find no purpose in life he creates one in the inevitability of death.

Martyrs are needed to create incidents. Incidents are needed to create revolutions. Revolutions are needed to create progress.

There is an indomitable quality within the human spirit that cannot be destroyed; a face deep within the human personality that is impregnable to all assaults.

American violence is public life, it's a public way of life, it became a form, a detective story form. So I should think that any number of black writers should go into the detective story form.

Democracy is not tolerance. Democracy is a prescribed way of life erected on the premise that all men are created equal.

I grew to manhood in the Ohio State Penitentiary.

The Harlem of my books was never meant to be real; I never called it real; I just wanted to take it away from the white man if only in my books.

In your travel, learn the brief history of the place visited. History is rich knowledge.

Goodness, I was already a dork most of the times. I didn't need to be a drunk or high dork.

The best compliment we can pay our past is to prophetically and bravely face today and tomorrow.

There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.

The service at the Imperial (Tokyo) is the finest I've encountered anywhere. There was a button next to my bed marked ROOM SERVICE - and a maid to press it for me.

I'm in the wrong racket if I didn't want a public life.

I'm a mom. I'm from Ethiopia. I gave birth in the U.S. and had all the proper care available to me. If I had given birth in Ethiopia - I don't know if I might have even survived it.

The essence of Hinduism is that the path may be different, but the goal is the same.

Everything you draw is influenced. It's like yogurt. You need a little bit to start the next batch.