People say that it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals. There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway.

When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticizing the man of the hour i…

I realized now that militancy in the best sense of the word was the only answer where the black man was concerned, that any black man who wasn't a militant in …

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's …

(on the Indian presence in his country): 'Let us not ignore the fact that there is another community settled here in our midst. I refer to the Indians. They ha…

'I've changed music four or five times. What have you done of any importance other than be white?'

'There is a systemic and methodical strategy to eliminate our people from doing business off 125th Street. I want to make it clear ... that we will not stand b…