Coleman Young

“The suburbs are a place where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them.”

“I'm not a shrinking violet. I played in a very rough league. I fought all my life, and I'm used to fighting. And I'll fight here.”

“Racism is like high blood pressure—the person who has it doesn't know he has it until he drops over with a stroke. There are no symptoms of racism. The victim of racism is in a much better position to tell you whether or not you're a racist than you are.”

“There are certain things I believe in, and I'm not going to be blackmailed into changing my beliefs.”

“I'm the living embodiment of 'I don't give a damn.'”

“I issue a warning to all those pushers, to all rip-off artists, to all muggers: It's time to leave Detroit; hit Eight Mile Road! And I don't give a damn if they are black or white, or if they wear Superfly suits or blue uniforms with silver badges. Hit the road.”

“Swearing is an art form. You can express yourself much more directly, much more exactly, much more succinctly with properly used curse words.”

“The first thing you have to do is get power. You have to get so much power that you can afford to lose some.”

“I will not be dictated to by outside forces. This is our city.”

“Courage is one step ahead of fear.”