I found myself in the middle of a race riot when I was about 14 years old, and I found someone pointing a gun at me and telling me to run or they'd shoot me.

More Quotes by Tracy Chapman

There are good reasons for being in jail - for protesting.

There have been some gains made in terms of more equality for women in the workplace and in the way the legal system deals with issues of violence against women.

I often write either really early in the morning, or really late at night.

There are some concerns that are universal. Everyone wants to be loved, and everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere in the world. Everyone wants to do something and feel like they have a sense of purpose. These are just the things that I think about and the things that make their way into my songwriting.

I think religion played a huge part in Bush's re-election.

We all must live our lives always feeling, always thinking the moment has arrived.