I never think of myself as wise. I think of myself as possessing a critical intelligence which I intend to allow to operate.

I don't intend to simply go away and write my plays and be a good boy. I intend to remain an independent and political intelligence in my own right.

I mean, don't forget the earth's about five thousand million years old, at least. Who can afford to live in the past?

The past is what you remember, imagine you remember, convince yourself you remember, or pretend you remember.

I was raised in a very religious home with two parents who were deeply involved in the black church. When I was young, I went to a small black AME church in New Jersey.

Be true to yourself, know that your are more than your face and body, and keep God first.

The style of God venerated in the church, mosque, or synagogue seems completely different from the style of the natural universe.

At Cornell, my acting teacher said you cannot be religious and be an artist. I sort of got it, because faith is a comfort and art comes from a lot of places, in a lot of people, from the dark chasm.