Home / Authors / Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni Quotes

Writer

Nikki Giovanni is an American poet, writer, and activist, born on June 7, 1943. She is renowned for her poignant and evocative poetry that frequently tackles social and political issues. Giovanni's writing has had a profound impact on the African American literary community and beyond, earning her numerous awards and accolades for her literary contributions.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Thinking Ifs Poetry Black Poem Want Writing Needs African Americans Blacks Knows Nina Should World Humans Book Life Love Poet

Famous Nikki Giovanni Quotes

“Being Black and poor is, I think, radically different from being anything else and poor. Poor, to most Blacks, is a state of mind. Those who accept it are poor; those who struggle are middle class.”

Thinking Mind Different States Black Poor Accepting Class Poverty Struggle Middle Middle Class State Of Mind

Book:Sacred cows-- and other edibles

Source: Sacred cows-- and other edibles

“I am a huge fan of the Black woman. I never hesitate to recommend her when times are bad or things go wrong.”

Black Fans Huge Black Women

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“The trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans. I say, the trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans.”

Black Understood Mars

Book:Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems

Source: Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems

“We black women are the single group in the West intact. And anybody can see we're pretty shaky. We are, however (all praises), the only group that derives its identity from itself.”

Black Groups Identity Praise West Black Women

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“We [Black people] have always used our creativity to battle and we're not the only ones. Black Americans are certainly leaders in that simply because we were denied education and dealt with enforced illiteracy. But people seem to always forget that literacy is not the only way of learning things or conveying knowledge.”

People Way Seems Used Black Forget Leader Creativity Battle Black People Denied Literacy Illiteracy Conveying

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Black Americans should be given credit for finding probably the perfect weapon; the weapon of the song. And that song continues. Most holocausts don't, so they have this bitterness left over. The phenomenon of the world, as far as Black Americans are considered, is that we are not a bitter people.”

People World Should Song Left Given Black Perfect Findings Weapons Credit Bitter Phenomenon Bitterness Holocaust Bitter People

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“You have to use what you have in order to get what you need and the people can not be rich unless somebody is rich. The Hip-Hop generation has carried more people with it than any other enterprise Black Americans have had.”

People Needs Use Order Black Rich Generations Hip Hop Hips Enterprise Hops Can Not

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I wish that she had had a black loon because I don't think that Nina [Simone] did. I have always had - I've been very fortunate - a group of little old ladies that I love and who love me, and who turned and to whom I turn at different times.”

Thinking Littles Different Turns Wish Black Groups Fortunate Old Lady Different Times Nina

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I am of the generation of segregation. Black Lives Matter is post. I said today, and I will say all the time, "If Nina [Simone] were here, she'd have her Black Lives Matter [T-shirt] on." I think they're great kids. They don't need me or anybody else to tell them what to do.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Said Matter Kids Today Black Generations Posts Shirts T Shirt Segregation Black Lives Matter Nina Black Lives

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Black love is black wealth”

Black Wealth Love Is Black Love

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Style has a profound meaning to Black Americans. If we can’t drive, we will invent walks and the world will envy the dexterity of our feet. If we can’t have ham, we will boil chitterlings; if we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers; if given scraps, we will make quilts; take away our drums, and we will clap our hands. We prove the human spirit will prevail. We will take what we have to make what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge of who we are.”

Ifs World Needs Humans Hands Spirit Given Black Walks Feet Style Prove Profound Envy Who We Are Human Spirit Rotten Scrap Ham Peaches Quilts Dexterity Cobblers

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“White people really deal more with God and black people with Jesus.”

People Jesus Black White Deals Black People Godly

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“What's the difference between dragging a black man behind a truck in Jasper, Texas, and beating a white boy to death in Wyoming because he's gay?”

Men Black Differences White Behinds Boys Gay Texas Truck Wyoming

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Black love is Black wealth and they'll probably talk about my hard childhood and never understand that all the while I was quite happy”

Love Hard Black Wealth Love Is Childhood Black Love

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“A white face goes with a white mind. Occasionally a black face goes with a white mind. Very seldom a white face will have a black mind.”

Mind Faces Black White Black Face Blackface

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Black Poetry is not for Black People...it is for everybody”

People Black Poetry Is Black People

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked... . We as black people, we as people, we as the human species have got to get used to the fact we're not going to be right most of the time, not even when our intentions are good. We've got to go naked and see what happens.”

People Want Humans Facts Happens Used Black Intention Species Refuse Naked Black People Human Species

Author:Nikki Giovanni

About the Author

Born: June 7, 1943
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 227

Related Topics

People Thinking Ifs Poetry Black Poem Want Writing Needs African Americans Blacks Knows Nina Should World Humans Book Life Love Poet

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Sacred cows-- and other ediblesRelated source material

AcolytesRelated source material

Racism 101Related source material

Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young PeopleRelated source material

My HouseRelated source material

Conversations with Nikki GiovanniRelated source material

Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate: Looking At The Harlem Renaissance Through PoemsRelated source material

The women and the menRelated source material

Those who ride the night windsRelated source material

Black Feeling, Black Talk / Black JudgementRelated source material

Similar Authors

Russell SimmonsBrowse related quotes
Toni MorrisonBrowse related quotes
Alice WalkerBrowse related quotes
Taylor SwiftBrowse related quotes
Madonna CicconeBrowse related quotes
Sandra CisnerosBrowse related quotes
Salman RushdieBrowse related quotes
Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Stephen KingBrowse related quotes
Kanye WestBrowse related quotes