If a white man falls off a chair drunk, it’s just a drunk. If a Negro does, it’s the whole damn Negro race.
A minority group has “arrived” only when it has the right to produce some fools and scoundrels without the entire group paying for it.
I learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds. One of those tricks I had learned: People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied; they were relieved — such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn’t seem angry all the time.
