A curated register of quotes from under-represented voices.

“ Love is an action, never simply a feeling. ”

— bell hooks, 2000

“ The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. ”

— bell hooks, 2000

“ Education must not simply teach work, it must teach life. ”

— W.E.B. Du Bois

“ Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ”

— Nelson Mandela

“ Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom. ”

— George Washington Carver

“ Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books. ”

— bell hooks, 1994

“ This whole thing is a talent issue. Women is a talent issue. It's not a gender issue. ”

— Indra Nooyi

“ I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed, anything that could be counted, I did. ”

— Katherine Johnson

“ This is politics for me. This is my life. I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars. ”

— Billy Porter, 2019

“ The man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the lowliness of a person lies in the body according to the sex, but in the perfection of conduct and virtues. ”

— Christine de Pizan, 1405

“ Be kind to one another. ”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“ Bringing our true self is possible only when there is no fear of retribution or ridicule, and in fact appreciation and celebration of what makes each of us unique. ”

— Roma Bindroo

“ I'm not OK with someone writing the Asian experience for an Asian character. ”

— Awkwafina, 2019

“ Representation matters, not only representation mattering for Indigenous people, but also for people who are just everyday Americans. ”

— Deb Haaland, 2021

“ The only way to survive is by taking care of one another. ”

— Grace Lee Boggs

“ Having such a diverse group of people coming into Congress is going to make a difference, because no matter if your experience is very similar to mine or completely different than mine, it's just as real and it's just as valid. ”

— Sharice Davids, 2018

“ We are still here. The will to survive is engrained in us, passed down through the generations by our ancestors. ”

— Deb Haaland, 2021

“ The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform. ”

— Ada Lovelace, 1843

“ I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough. ”

— Marissa Mayer

“ If your dream only includes you, it's too small. ”

— Ava DuVernay

“ Being non-violent is not being a coward. It's one of the most powerful tools because even those who pick up guns are cowards. ”

— Leymah Gbowee, 2011