Marian Anderson

“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.”

“Prejudice is like a hair across your cheek. You can't see it, you can't find it with your fingers, but you keep brushing at it because the feel of it is irritating.”

“You lose a lot of time hating people.”

“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.”

“There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other fellow to make the first move - and he, in turn, waits for you.”

“I have a great belief in the future of my people and my country.”