“What we do during our working hours determines what we have;what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.”

“What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are — and who we will become.”

“Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We are not limited by what we have done, or what we have left undone. We are limited only by what we are willing to do.”

“Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.”

“While the subject matter is lynching, on a deeper level, this novel is about identity. Whom and what we identify ourselves with determines our characters, determines who we are, and what we do.”

“Our beliefs about what we are and what we can be, precisely determine what we will be.”

“Time is what we have in this life, and how we use it determines what our life is.”