Ifemelu thought about the expression "sweet girl." Sweet girl meant that, for a long time, Don had molded Ranyinudo into a malleable shape, or that she had allowed him to think he had.

Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I'm Jamaican or I'm Ghanaian. America doesn't care.

There are many different ways to be poor in the world but increasingly there seems to be one single way to be rich.

Race doesn't really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don't have that choice.

Sometimes she worried that she was too happy. . . And her joy would become a restless thing, flapping its wings inside her, as though looking for an opening to fly away.

A book did not qualify as literature unless it had polysyllabic words and incomprehensible passages.

Ma? I think you have the spirit of husband-repelling. You are too hard, ma, you will not find a husband. But my pastor can destroy that spirit.

femelu could not understand this, her mother’s ability to tell herself stories about her reality that did not even resemble her reality

They never said “I don’t know.” They said, instead, “I’m not sure, ” which did not give any information but still suggested the possibility of knowledge.

...she thought of him as a person who did not have a normal spine, but had instead, a firm reed of goodness.

One day, I will look up and all the people I know will be dead or abroad.

White is actually one of my favorite colors. I have a white car. I love white.

Judgement comes from experience, and great judgement comes from bad experience.

I do write about people who are complex and are striving with something and can't quite get past their own stuff, which would be a proxy for myself because that's what the deal is with me.

Pure love ... knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love - love, and always love.

Solidarity between women can be a powerful force of change, and can influence future development in ways favourable not only to women but also to men.

I don't know if you saw the parting of the Red Sea with the chariots on the horses, I did stuff like that.

Vice, virtue - it's best not to be too moral. You'll cheat yourself out of too much life.

I create situations that do not exist. I seek the truth from fiction.

I've been a police officer for over 20 years, and I've investigated murders and all kinds of different crimes.

Experiencing flow helps a person remember that they are unique. ... Just like everyone else.