"The African American's relationship to Africa has long been ambivalent, at least since the early nineteenth century, when 3,000 black men crowded into Bishop Richard Allen's African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia to protest noisily a plan to recolonize free blacks in Africa."

"For as long as I can remember, I have been passionately intrigued by 'Africa,' by the word itself, by its flora and fauna, its topographical diversity and grandeur; but above all else, by the sheer variety of the colors of its people, from tan and sepia to jet and ebony."

"Very few, if any, first-generation black or white or Asian kids will pursue a Ph.D. They'll pursue the professions for economic security. Many will go to law school and/or business school."

"My goal is to get everybody in America to do their family tree."

"A mindful spirit recognizes that every choice we make paints the canvas of our life."

"Wisdom principle 44 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 61."

"A life well-lived leaves an aroma of kindness long after the sun has set — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"Setting a good example for your children takes all the fun out of middle age."