One of the lies that we tell ourselves is that we're making progress; but Huey's chair's empty.

When you understand your obligations to God then you can understand your obligations to society.

I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.

Individuals do not create rebellions; conditions do.

Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organized.

The man does not beat your head because you got a Cadillac or because you got a Ford; he beats you because you're black!

This is a very unforgiving country when you show this country its warts, when you hold the mirror up. If you happen not to share their beliefs, they'll kill you.

Being a man is the continuing battle for one's life. One loses a bit of manhood with every stale compromise to the authority of any power in which one does not believe.

There's no such thing as second class citizenship. That's like telling me you can be a little bit pregnant.

See, it's no in between: you're either free or you're a slave.

The poverty program was not designed to eliminate poverty.

The value of time lies in its brevity. To use it effectively, you must know its value.

Life is too short not to believe in something.

We are, none of us, pillars of strength. We use our moments of strength to carry us through our moments of weakness.

No wild beasts are so cruel as the Christians in their dealings with each other

I don't care if I'm beautiful; I don't care what I am on the outside. It isn't about the outside.

I never want to love someone like that, so much that there would be no room left for myself, so much that I wouldn't be able to survive if he left me.

If I can't face my accusers, that's a joke. We did that in medieval times.

I'm always doing things I can't do. That's how I get to do them.

No matter how great the script, the actual film will only be a distant relative of it - it will never be an identical twin.

I think that if one's role doesn't correspond to what one says, if one's life doesn't correspond to what one preaches, if one is not true to one's people, someone else will come as a substitute.