"The colonized is elevated above his jungle status in proportion to his adoption of the mother country’s cultural standards."

"To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization."

"When people like me, they like me “in spite of my color.” When they dislike me; they point out that it isn't because of my color. Either way, I am locked in to the infernal circle."

"The black man is a man of despair."

"The colonial world is a Manichaean world."