“I used to wonder how a man working for the saintly organization of the saintly Dr. King could find himself in such a sinful place. But I'm no saint although I'm a good Christian, and even the best Christians are more familiar with sinners than saints.”

“The sight of a cross on fire should be unsettling to any true Christian. To a Negro it is worse. A unique kind of fear enters your mind, one perfected by the South: that you could die for the most harmless of offenses. You could die just for the crime of living.”

“God knows I'm no saint, but I don't think I'm more of a sinner than any other man.”

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

“The only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future. ”

“I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

“There is no sinner like a young saint.”