And what will history say of me a thousand years hence?

Wood burns because it has the proper stuff in it, and a man becomes famous because he has the proper stuff in him.

Being a star has made it possible for me to get insulted in places where the average Negro could never hope to go and get insulted.

If fame is only to come after death, I am in no hurry for it.

Most authors seek fame, but I seek for justice—a holier impulse than ever entered into the ambitious struggles of the votaries of that fickle, flirting goddess.

I’m afraid of losing my obscurity. Genuineness only thrives in the dark. Like celery.