- "As a child I was often left in charge of some relative's child; or at the home of a woman whom my father called 'aunt.' Sometimes in the late afternoon I'd be told, 'Well chile, you take the baby home now.'"
- "In these homes I came to know some of the oldest traditions of the Gullah people. I heard people talk about the plantation system and life during slavery days."
- "Many of the people whose history I recorded had been born as slaves, and those who had not had felt its pervasive influence. Yet they did not live lives filled with bitterness and despair."
- "They sang songs, told folktales, and took me on journeys into their pasts. I have cherished these memories and have tried to share them with the rest of the world."
- "I feel that I am a witness and a historian for my people. I want to preserve the Gullah heritage and share it with others so that it will never be lost."