"I'm writing for black people, in the same way that Tolstoy was writing for Russians, not for a little white island in the Caribbean."

"You are your own best thing."

"Nonsense. The only thing they can do to you is kill you. And then your spirit is free. So don't be afraid. Fear of death is the greatest evil."

"The human race is a biological mistake."

"Black people have always been there. We're just not being seen. And when we are seen, we're seen as a problem."