Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.

The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.

There is nothing government can give you that it hasn't taken from you in the first place.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.

You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.

A nation that forgets its past has no future.

Walk in the light before the dawn of darkness.

I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full.

My influences have been what I call my four Bs - the primary one being the blues, then Borges, Baraka, and Bearden.

I understand about the relative strengths of people, and I don't think people have to be anything. They can be nothin' if they want to be.

The only good dictator is a dead one.

I was always singing the way I felt, and maybe I didn't exactly know it, but I just didn't like the way things were down there-in Mississippi.

I think protecting your family and giving to them is so important. It’s the most important achievement.

The unlived life is not worth examining.

On this special Fathers Day, we'd like to wish all of you a very Happy Birthday.

I really think everything is fair game.