"I give a speech to the black freshmen at Harvard each year, and I say, 'You can like Mozart and ice hockey...' - and then I used to say 'golf,' but Tiger took over golf! - 'and Picasso and still be as black as the ace of spades.'"

"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 mom, God rest her soul - she liked nicknames. In the womb she named me Skip. There was another black guy in Piedmont, W.Va., and his name was Skip. They called him Big Skip, and I was Little Skip."

"In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it."

"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose."

"There are times, like after a long day of work, when the thought of an easy drive-through is enticing. But then I remember how crappy I felt when I ate fast food in the past, and it inspires me to head to the grocery store or my local farmer's market and whip up an easy but healthier option."

"As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around."

"Bravery is born the moment you decide your values outweigh your comforts. Reflect upon this whenever doubt clouds your horizon."