“But know this America: we will meet them”

“You know there are a lot of different aspects to ourselves. It’s good to meet them, even engage them if we want to. Or just say, “The hell with them.”

“Along our chosen paths, we all meet up with demons. We must meet them, and battle them, even when they are nothing but mist in the night.”

“America is a young dumb country and it needs all kinds of help. America is a dumb puppy with big teeth that bite and hurt. And we take care of America. We hold America to our bosom; we feed America, we make love to America. There wouldn't be an America if it wasn't for black people. So you have some dedicated black Americans who will die a million deaths to save America. And this is home for us. We don't know really about Africa. We talk it in a romantic sense, but America is it. And so, America is always going to be okay as long as black people don't totally lose their mind, cause we'll pick up the pieces and turn it into a new dance.”

“We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of them.”

“In America, we know to ignore artists if they're serious in any way.”