“And so one can imagine that in amorous seduction the other is the locus of your secret — the other unknowingly holds that which you will never have the chance to know.”

“You not only are hunted by others, you unknowingly hunt yourself.”

“My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.”

“Never reveal all of yourself to other people; hold back something in reserve so that people are never quite sure if they really know you.”

“You can hold a secret, hold it so far in that it drives nearly every thought and every move you make- your very heartbeat, almost.”

“Everything has two handles, one by which it may be borne, the other by which it may not. If your brother sin against you lay not hold of it by the handle of his injustice, for by that it may not be borne: but rather by this, that he is your brother, the comrade of your youth; and thus you will lay hold on it so that it may be borne.”

“Oh, Celie, unbelief is a terrible thing. And so is the hurt we cause others unknowingly.”

“When somebody fucks with you, don’t mourn your sorrow, cower in a corner and contemplate suicide. Talk about it, reveal your experience and your problems, and if you have the chance(which seeing the abundance of social networking sites available, you probably will), find various ways to publicly humiliate him, so he can never dare to fuck with you again, and you can encourage other people to do the same.”

“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”

“Anything you may hold firmly in your imagination can be yours.”