Roots: The Saga of an American Family Quotes

In his high voice, a singing griot sang endless verses about the past splendors of the kingdoms of Ghana, Songhai, and Old Mali. (12.11)

Little Kunta basked thus every day in his mother's tenderness. (2.9)

[T]he King of Barra himself, who ruled this part of The Gambia, personally presented a choice virgin for the young holy man's first wife (5.9)

"Is this how you repay my goodness—with badness?" cried the boy."Of course," said the crocodile out of the corner of his mouth. "That is the way of the world" (3.15-16)

The days of hunger had begun so early that five goats and two bullocks [...] were sacrificed to strengthen everyone's prayer's that Allah might spare the village from starvation. (3.1)

No matter how bad anything was, Nyo Boto would always remember a time when it was worse. (4.4)

Kunta's grandfather had followed a family tradition of holy men that dated back many hundreds of rains into Old Mali. (5.6)

He said that three groups of people lived in every village. First were those you could see [...] Second were the ancestors [...] "The third people," said Omoro, "are those waiting to be born." (6.16)

Though all he had named were slaves, he said, they were all respected people, as Kunta well knew. (16.10)

"I will bring the toubob!" Binta would tell at Kunta when he had tried her patience to the breaking point, scaring Kunta most thoroughly. (7.9)