Edmonia Lewis

I was practically driven to Rome in order to obtain the opportunities for art culture and to find a social atmosphere where I was not constantly reminded of my color. The land of liberty had no room for a colored sculptor.

There is nothing so beautiful as the free forest. To catch a fish when you are hungry, cut the boughs of a tree, make a fire to roast it, and eat it in the open air, is the greatest of all luxuries. I would not stay a week pent up in cities if it were not for my passion for art.

Until I was twelve years old, I led this wandering life, fishing, swimming, and making moccasins.

My features I take from my father, but my spirit, my industry and perseverance I get from my Indian mother.

Sometimes the times were dark and the outlook was lonesome, but where there is a will, there is a way. I pitched in and dug at my work until now I am where I am.

One day, I saw a statue of Benjamin Franklin, and I said to myself, 'I can do that kind of work, too.'