Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
The only thing I have to do in this life is stay black and die. No one can force me to do anything.
I could easily have decided that life was cruel, that being black meant everything was stacked against me.
I've been writing stories all my life. My very first story had two little black girls riding horses. They were both me, too, so that's how into me I was.
If I was black or Hispanic, I wouldn't get any criticism. Because I'm white, people expect so much more out of me. That's a little unfair, but life isn't fair.
James Baldwin is probably, for me and for many other people, one of the most extraordinary authors in this country, black or white. And he is somebody who changed my life.
Presley is country music, white music. Jazz is black music - it was invented by the blacks in New Orleans. And I'm really a jazz singer. I was impressed with Elvis - he was the handsomest guy I ever met in my life, and a very nice person, too. But the music doesn't impress me.