How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #1
What my father could not know then was that of the remaining three, including himself, only one, my Uncle Jim, would die in bed, of natural causes. [...] It has always been my belief that I, too, will die by violence. (1.2)
This is the first of many times that Malcolm X tells us he expects to be killed. It is also reason number one: because his dad and uncles also died violently.
Quote #2
Sometimes, recalling all of this, I don't know, to tell the truth, how I am alive to tell it today. They say God takes care of fools and babies. I've so often thought that Allah was watching over me. Through all of this time of my life, I really was dead—mentally dead. I just didn't know that I was. (7.99)
Here Malcolm X is referring to the years where he was hustling in Boston and Harlem. What does he mean by mentally dead?
Quote #3
Looking back, I think I really was at least slightly out of my mind. I viewed narcotics as most people regard food. I wore my guns as today I wear my neckties. Deep down, I actually believed that after living as fully as humanly possible, one should then die violently. I expected then, as I still expect today, to die at any time. But then, I think I deliberately invited death in many, sometimes insane, ways. (9.31)
Another term for this mentality is live fast, die young. Or as you young ones say, YOLO. It's also reason number two that Malcolm thinks he's going to die.