Some say that I was once uncommonly beautiful, but I wouldn't wish beauty on any woman who has not her own freedom, and who chooses not the hands that claim her.

But I have long loved the written word, and come to see in it the power of the sleeping lion. This is my name. This is who I am. This is how I got here. In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs breathing and heart beating.

Today you live, child. Tomorrow, you dream.

I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why women were always busy. I reasoned that men were weak and needed rest.

When it comes to understanding others, we rarely tax our imaginations.

Sometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all.

We are never really beyond it... slavery continues to this day.

You must learn to respect, Papa said. But I do not respect her, I said. Papa paused for a moment, and patted my leg. Then you must learn to hide your disrespect.

beware the clever man that makes the wrong look right

Never have I met a person doing terrible things who would meet my own eyes peacefully. To gaze into another person's face is to do two things: to recognize their humanity, and to assert your own.