Quote

My ancestors wandered lost in the wilderness for forty years because even in biblical times, men would not stop to ask for directions.

I've dabbled in several different religions.

When I began going to school and learned to read, I encountered stories of other people and other lands.

I have, thanks to my travels, added to my stock all the superstitions of other countries. I know them all now, and in any critical moment of my life, they all rise up in armed legions for or against me.

I have, for many years past, contemplated the noble races of red men who are now spread over these trackless forests and boundless prairies, melting away at the approach of civilization.

From infancy, I have relied on the fiercely sweet spirits of black men; and this is abundantly clear in my work.

I've traveled more than any human being who's ever lived.

I had always been interested in race and racial justice, but mostly it was with my nose pressed up against the glass, looking at the South from a long way away.

I remain a humanist. We are a very curious race.

I got exposed to so many different cultures and people.