“When we finally stop asking America to love us and begin to love ourselves, we will prosper as a people.”

Knowing who you are begins in the mind.

People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don’t want to be perceived as having yet another deficit.

The music was as much a gift as sunshine, as rain, as any blessing ever prayed for.

Once my loved one accepted the diagnosis, healing began for the entire family, but it took too long. It took years.

My color is my joy and not my burden.

Can’t we, as a nation, begin to speed up that process? We need a national campaign to destigmatize mental illness, especially one targeted toward African Americans.

Discipline is the servant of inspiration.

You live your life between your ears.

As I grow older part of my emotional survival plan must be to actively seek inspiration instead of passively waiting for it to find me.

Race, redemption and healing – thats my thing.

The message must go on billboards and in radio and TV public service announcements. It must be preached from pulpits and discussed in community forums. It’s not shameful to have a mental illness. Get treatment. Recovery is possible.

Forgiveness is the key to the recovery of the soul.

African Americans know about racism, but I don’t think we really know the causes. I decided it’s first of all a family problem.

If you are asking me if I would advocate that the Chinese go to greater flexibility in their exchange rate, I certainly would.

There is no such thing as a dumb question but there is such a thing as a dumb person asking a question.

A man asking for help ought to at least give directions.

You owe the companies nothing. You especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.

Asking the question whether the mainstream media has a liberal or conservative bias is like asking whether al Qaeda uses too much oil in their hummus.

By not asking too much, you can believe in almost anything..like..a starry night in the mountains, or even the existence of fate.

Instead of striving towards some distant goal that you will never reach, I invite you to stop and ask: How am I avoiding the enlightenment that is already present in each moment? How am I seeing separation where it doesn’t exist?

I’ve had journalists asking me, ‘What do we call you – is it handicapped, are you disabled, physically challenged?’