richard wright

“ They hate because they fear, and they fear because they feel that the deepest feelings of their lives are being assaulted and outraged. ”

“ Reading was like a drug, a dope. The novels created moods in which I lived for days. ”

“ Even though Mr. Dalton gave millions of dollars for...education, he would rent houses to [black people] only in this prescribed area, this corner of the city tumbling down from rot. ”

“ Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread. ”

“ I soon made myself a nuisance by asking far too many questions of everybody. Every happening in the neighborhood, no matter how trivial, became my business. ”

“ I was never, never, under any conditions, to fight white folks again. ”

“ He sat. The white cat still contemplated him with large, moist eyes. ”

“ I did not know if the story was factually true or not, but it was emotionally true. ”

“ Whenever my environment had failed to support or nourish me, I had clutched at books ”

“ Don't leave inferences to be drawn when evidence can be presented. ”