"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes…"

"Dat's de way it is with some women. Dey ain't got no sense at all."

"I want to be myself, and I want to be a woman, and I want to be an American. And I want to be all of these things without apology."

"The highest heaven of Negro expression is to be found in the Negro church."

"Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me."