I Thought Of Singing And

I'm Still Learning, You Know. At 80, I Feel There Is A Lot I Don't Know.

It's Not The Load That Breaks You Down, It's The Way You Carry It. Carry It By The Comfortable Handles Of Gratitude For What's Positive And That It Is Not Worse, Rather Than The Uncomfortable Edges Of Bitterness For The Negatives And That It Is Not Better.

I Learned From Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, The Nicholas Brothers, The Whole Thing, The Whole Schmear. [the Cotton Club] Was A Great Place Because It Hired Us, For One Thing, At A Time When It Was Really Rough [for Black Performers].

Malcolm X Made Me Very Strong At A Time I Needed To Understand What I Was Angry About. He Had Peace In His Heart. He Exerted A Big Influence On Me.

I Was Unique In That I Was A Kind Of Black That White People Could Accept. I Was Their Daydream. I Had The Worst Kind Of Acceptance Because It Was Never For How Great I Was Or What I Contributed. It Was Because Of The Way I Looked.