"The American ideal, after all, is to be as much like an American as possible."

"The root of the matter is that the white man has projected onto the Negro that which he despises, fears, and wishes to avoid in himself."

"The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated."

"Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."

"You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don't, you won't live long."