Jackie Robinson

"I don’t owe any living person my soul, my integrity, my freedom of thought and speech."

"I had to fight hard against loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistake I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there."

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

"How much more effective our demands for a piece of the action would be if we were negotiating from the strength or our own self-reliance rather than stating our case in the role of beggar or someone crying out for charity."

"We live in a materialistic society in which money doesn’t talk—it screams."

"It was one thing for me out there on the playing field to be able to keep my cool in the face of insults. But it was another for all those black people sitting in the stands to keep from overreacting when they sensed a racial slur or an unjust decision."