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" Black women have to know the historical and everyday struggles of black men, and our men have to know the struggles of black women in America. "

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" I have always been against the gangster as hero. "

" You should always be prepared to win. But as much as I tell myself that, I've accepted another kind of role. Racism undercuts expectation, something like that. I'm not saying that to excuse myself from anything, but I've lived all this time, and things don't happen. "

" I learned that having great sensitivity is important. But being strong is just as important. "

" When I was young, I dreamt of being a starlet in Hollywood. But there comes a point in every African American's life when you realize the limitations, that you could only play maids or some little supporting role. Even Lena Horne couldn't get good parts. "

" I'd come from a background in New York of picketing and protesting. "

" I shined shoes; I did windows. "

" Marriage is really an exciting adventure. "

" We women have a great function to perform. The world needs us. "

" Well, I didn't grow up with that word 'retirement' as part of my consciousness. I didn't grow up with professionals that retired. I thought retiring was when you are tired and go to bed. "

" I do remember the numbers runners, I do remember the poverty and bread lines. Harlem stays with you forever. "

" I have this deep love for authors. I think that we don't do enough to encourage love of words and love of books. "

" Just staying together is not a real virtue, if you're not happy. Or you're being denied. Or one person is being squashed. Or you really don't love each other; you're just there out of habit. That doesn't work, no matter how many years you stay together. "

" I really don't believe in retiring as long as you can breathe. "

" You can't be all you are meant to be if you think you are better than others, and you can't be all you are meant to be if you think you are less than others, either. "

" Oh, I'm impressed with Lorraine Hansberry. She was a genius at whose feet I could sit. "

" The Divine Impulse - it's always safe to follow it. We've got to trust it and go wherever it takes us. Especially women. "

" I pray with my whole soul that the divide-and-conquerers among us will not triumph over us. We need each other in this world so desperately. "

" I think the poets and musicians, they belong to everybody. "

" I didn't have the kind of talent or personality that kept me dreaming about Hollywood. They don't hire little colored girls to do this or that. After I got that in my head, I took another direction. "

" Racism is a very insidious thing. It's dangerous to the psyche, to mind and body. It erodes the self-confidence. And I don't know how we get through it. "

" I didn't realize it until I was grown how necessary it is for good people to be tough. "

" One reason I didn't trust my writing for so long was that I always considered myself a serious dramatic actor. But people would always laugh when I shared my writing with them. It took my husband to help me see that I really am part humorist. "

" My whole life is not defined by what Hollywood does. "

" I never thought about myself as an activist when we were coming along. I love the people I love. I didn't care whether they could be a Democrat, Republican, communist... anything but a racist. "

" An Oscar nomination? That would be a very satisfying thing, I'm sure. I would appreciate the thought. It would be like taking your hat off as an actor to all the people who walk through you. "

" Life can't die. It's a contradiction. "

" You're not supposed to go into business with the sole purpose of putting your neighbor out of business. This is not the United States of Corporate America. "

" Is it safe and sane to only have one political and economic system by which everyone in the world can live? Or can we explore and share? God never made one of anything. "

" I'm very much interested in getting prisons off the stock market. I'm very much interested in upgrading the public school system... and taking a second look at capital punishment. "

" God, make me so uncomfortable that I will do the very thing I fear. "