I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Hanging softly over the black Singer sewing machine, it looked like magic

ithout willing it, I had gone from being ignorant of being ignorant to being aware of being aware. And the worst part of my awareness was that I didn’t know what I was aware of.

At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.

Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.

Of course, I knew God was white too, but no one could have made me believe he was prejudiced

Stamps was as slow coming out of the Depression as it had been getting into it.

Whatever was given by Black people to other Blacks was most probably needed as desperately by the donor as by the receiver

If she had been asked and had chosen to answer the question of whether she was cowardly or not, she would have said that she was a realist.

my family was handsome to a point of pain for me

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes.”