“I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of the evening that swing between the strong-limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius... and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the Veil.” TruthShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareBalzacAristotleVeilAlexandre DumasMarcus AureliusDumasAureliusHonoré De Balzac Book:The Souls of Black Folk Source: The Souls of Black Folk