Is This How You Repay My Goodness--with

I Suppose That It Was Inevitable That My Word-base Broadened. I Could Now For The First Time Pick Up A Book And Read And Now Begin To Understand What The Book Was Saying. Anyone Who Has Read A Great Deal Can Imagine The New World That Opened. Let Me Tell You Something: From Then Until I Left That Prison, In Every Free Moment I Had, If I Was Not Reading In The Library, I Was Reading In My Bunk. You Couldn’t Have Gotten Me Out Of My Books With A Wedge...months Passed Without My Even Thinking About Being Imprisoned. In Fact, Up To Then, I Never Had Been So Truly Free In My Life.

I Wasn't Going To Be One Of Those People Who Died Wondering What If? I Would Keep Putting My Dreams To The Test - Even Though It Meant Living With Uncertainty And Fear Of Failure. This Is The Shadowland Of Hope, And Anyone With A Dream Must Learn To Live There.

The Way To Succeed Is Never Quit. Thats It. But Really Be Humble About It.

It's Always Intrigued Me That Amidst The Group Called Slaves There Were Individuals Who Were Extremely Able, Who Were Extremely Colorful, Who Were Powerful Personalities, Who By No Means Fit The Usual Images Of Slaves. They Were People Who, Through Their Personalities And Abilities, Were Very Respected In The Community Where They Lived By Both Black And White.

My Parents Were Teachers And They Went Out Of Their Way To See To It That I Had Books. We Grew Up In A Home That Was Full Of Books. And So I Learned To Read. I Loved To Read.