I was taught to believe that the most dishonorable thing a Meredith could do was work in a white woman's kitchen and take care of a white man's child. I knew I would starve to death rather than do either.
Nothing is a bigger waste of time than regretting the past and worrying about the future.
You gotta understand - the state of Mississippi was in rebellion. It had rebelled against the United States. Now that has been a very difficult story for America to tell, but that's what actually happened.
What I did at Ole Miss had nothing to do with going to classes. My objective was to destroy the system of white supremacy.
My momma was slick as greased lightning. She knew how to get anybody and everybody to do whatever she wanted 'em to do.
Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.