045
Confirmed
“ Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. ”
— James Baldwin, 1962
He / Him · Pronounced: JAYMZ BAWLD-win
A curated register of quotes from under-represented voices.
Quotes
066
Confirmed
“ In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn. ”
— Octavia Butler, 1998
She / Her · Pronounced: ok-TAY-vee-uh BUT-ler
Source: Parable of the Talents
Something Wrong?
0
0
162
Attributed
“ You don't have to change the whole world, but by changing your thinking, you can change your actions, and then by changing your actions, you can change your community. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: MAR-lee DEE-us
Source: Interview on #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
002
Confirmed
“ Your silence will not protect you. ”
— Audre Lorde, 1977
She / Her · Pronounced: AW-dree LORD
092
Attributed
“ What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful. ”
— Sappho
She / Her · Pronounced: SAF-oh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
0
098
Attributed
“ I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go. ”
He / Him · Pronounced: LANG-stun HYOOZ
Source: Attributed to Hughes
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
0
064
Confirmed
“ There is no story that is not true. ”
— Chinua Achebe, 1958
He / Him · Pronounced: CHIN-wah ah-CHAY-bay
Source: Things Fall Apart
Something Wrong?
0
0
103
Attributed
“ Racist is an adjective, not a noun. ”
— Ibram X. Kendi, 2019
He / Him · Pronounced: ih-BRAHM KEN-dee
Source: TIME interview
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
079
Attributed
“ In a time of destruction, create something. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: mak-SEEN HONG KING-stun
Source: Attributed to Kingston
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
1
0
147
Attributed
“ What I really aspire to do in the poem is to be able to use my words to envision a way in which our country can still come together and can still heal. ”
— Amanda Gorman, 2021
She / Her · Pronounced: uh-MAN-duh GOR-mun
Source: New York Times interview · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
0
011
Confirmed
“ There are years that ask questions and years that answer. ”
— Zora Neale Hurston, 1937
She / Her · Pronounced: ZOR-uh NEEL HUR-stun
Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Something Wrong?
0
0
065
Attributed
“ Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: NIK-ee jee-oh-VAH-nee
Source: Attributed to Giovanni
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
0
003
Confirmed
“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ”
— Maya Angelou, 1969
She / Her · Pronounced: MY-uh AN-juh-loh
Source: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
163
Attributed
“ As we censor these really valuable stories, we are losing empathy in rapid levels throughout our country. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: MAR-lee DEE-us
Source: Interview on book censorship
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
001
Confirmed
“ Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. ”
— Audre Lorde, 1988
She / Her · Pronounced: AW-dree LORD
Source: A Burst of Light
074
Attributed
“ You are the storyteller of your own life. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: EE-sah-bel ah-YEN-day
Source: Attributed to Allende
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
1
080
Confirmed
“ I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years. ”
— Amy Tan, 1989
She / Her · Pronounced: AY-mee TAHN
Source: The Joy Luck Club
Something Wrong?
0
0
075
Attributed
“ Where there is a tree to plant, plant it yourself. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: gah-bree-EL-ah mees-TRAHL
Source: Attributed to Mistral
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Something Wrong?
0
0
004
Attributed
“ People will never forget how you made them feel. ”
She / Her · Pronounced: MY-uh AN-juh-loh
Source: Widely attributed to Angelou
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
046
Attributed
“ You write in order to change the world. ”
He / Him · Pronounced: JAYMZ BAWLD-win
Source: Attributed to Baldwin
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
102
Attributed
“ I think to be racist is to support policies that are leading to inequality or injustice. ”
— Ibram X. Kendi, 2019
He / Him · Pronounced: ih-BRAHM KEN-dee
Source: NPR interview
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.