My belief is in the chaos of the world and that you have to find your peace within the chaos and that you still have to find some sort of mission.

You can't tolerate anybody attempting to threaten or intimidate your body. You must respond with force.

There was no United States before slavery. I am sure somebody can make some sort of argument about modern French identity and slavery and North Africa, but there simply is no American history before black people.

The lives of African-Americans in this country are characterized by violence for most of our history. Much of that violence, at least to some extent, you know, done by the very state that's supposed to protect them.

Forgiveness is a big part of - especially post-civil rights movement - is a big part of African-American Christianity, and I wasn't raised within the Christian church; I wasn't raised within any church.

I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.