I Was Born In A Negro Town.

Mama Exhorted Her Children At Every Opportunity To 'jump At The Sun.' We Might Not Land On The Sun, But At Least We Would Get Off The Ground.

It Seems To Me To Be True That Heavens Are Placed In The Sky Because It Is The Unreachable. The Unreachable And Therefore The Unknowable Always Seems Divine--hence, Religion. People Need Religion Because The Great Masses Fear Life And Its Consequences. Its Responsibilities Weigh Heavy. Feeling A Weakness In The Face Of Great Forces, Men Seek An Alliance With Omnipotence To Bolster Up Their Feeling Of Weakness, Even Though The Omnipotence They Rely Upon Is A Creature Of Their Own Minds. It Gives Them A Feeling Of Security.

My Sense Of Humor Will Always Stand In The Way Of My Seeing Myself, My Family, My Race Or My Nation As The Whole Intent Of The Universe.

I Did Not Just Fall In Love. I Made A Parachute Jump.

I Do Not Share The Gloomy Thought That Negroes In America Are Doomed To Be Stomped Out Bodaciously, Nor Even Shackled To The Bottom Of Things. Of Course Some Of Them Will Be Tromped Out, And Some Will Always Be At The Bottom, Keeping Company With Other Bottom-folks.