A curated register of quotes from under-represented voices.

“ I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you. ”

— John Lennon, 1980

“ Everybody supports women until a woman's doing better than you. ”

— Sofia Isella, 2023

“ I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend. ”

— Freddie Mercury

“ Wherever we are, this is home. Wherever I go, I'll always be Puerto Rican. ”

— Bad Bunny, 2025

“ I think ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been. ”

— David Bowie

“ My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it. ”

— Kid Cudi, 2016

“ I am Puerto Rican, I am Caribbean, and my music, my culture, my country's history run through my veins, from plena to reggaeton. ”

— Bad Bunny

“ People are just afraid of things too much. Afraid of things that don't necessarily merit fear. ”

— Frank Ocean, 2012

“ I'll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. ”

— Nina Simone

“ Small changes end up making a big difference. It's about being a lot nicer to each other. It's just saying, 'Treat people with kindness.' ”

— Harry Styles

“ It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live. ”

— Nina Simone

“ I never thought of being blind as a disadvantage, and I never thought of being black as a disadvantage. I am what I am. I love me! ”

— Stevie Wonder, 2012

“ You're trying to take all this misunderstanding and loathing, and you're trying to turn it into love, which is the wonderful thing that happens when you're trying to make music out of the rough, hard, bad things. ”

— Bruce Springsteen, 2018

“ Growing up in the Western world, there are so many times where I'm like, Oh, I'm not white. My name is not that easy to say. I'm not as relatable as a white person. ”

— Rina Sawayama, 2020

“ For the longest time I was trying to be white and fit in, that's also fine at some points in your life, I had to do that to survive in certain spaces. ”

— Rina Sawayama, 2020

“ Who am I to judge? ”

— Pope Francis, 2013

“ There are three ways to ultimate success: the first way is to be kind, the second way is to be kind, and the third way is to be kind. ”

— Fred Rogers

“ Real men don't hurt women. ”

— Barack Obama, 2014

“ I know that the ones who love us will miss us. ”

— Keanu Reeves, 2019

“ Allyship is partnership, and things are always better when we do them together. ”

— Lee Chambers

“ Blood, sweat and respect. First two you give, the last one you earn. ”

— Dwayne Johnson, 2012