Josephine Baker

“I ran away from home... I ran away from the United States of America, because of this terror of discrimination, this horrible beast which paralyzes one's very soul and body.”

“You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you.”

“I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me.”

“I did take the blows, but I took them with my chin up.”

“Art is an excuse to love.”

“Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul.”

“One day I realized I was living in a country where I was afraid to be black. It was only a country for white people. Not black. So I left.”

“I'm not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach and a head. Just think about that.”

“I wasn't really naked. I simply didn't have any clothes on.”

“The secret to the fountain of youth is to think youthful thoughts.”

“I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad.”

“To realize our dreams we must decide to wake up.”

“The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains.”

“All my life, I have maintained that the people of the world can live together in peace.”

“When I was a child and they burned me out of this house, I was frightened and I ran. But I'm not running anymore.”