"Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another."

"The past is a country from which we can never escape."

"A writer's life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity."

"If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else."

"I am not interested in writing for white people. I am interested in writing for Black people."