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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.

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Famous Nikki Giovanni Quotes

“A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.”

People Want Reality Happens Dies Inspiring Refuse Naked Guarantees

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“The more you love someone the more he wants from you and the less you have to give since you've already given him your love.”

Want Love Giving Given Love Someone

Book:Gemini: an extended autobiographical statement on my first twenty-five years of being a Black poet

Source: Gemini: an extended autobiographical statement on my first twenty-five years of being a Black poet

“I am a big fan of the electronic book. I hate to see the old bookstores close, but they have to reinvent themselves. I believe the First Edition bookstore will be the next thing. People will read electronically, then decide they want to own that book. The author will then be invited to the old bookstores to sign. I think books will always be with us, but they will fill a different need.”

People Thinking Want Needs Firsts Believe Book Different Bigs Hate Next I Believe Fans I Hate Invited Bookstores

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“The only advice [for new writers and poets] I can offer is to be yourself: not the self someone else wants you to be, but the self you are. Enjoy yourself and your life. But most of all travel and eat. That's how we learn.”

Want I Can Self Enjoy Advice Poet Offers Being Yourself Enjoy Yourself Writers And Poets

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“We are better than we think and not yet what we want to be.”

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Storytelling is how history is passed. It's what our ancestors did, it's what everybody's done. It has to come back into a story because otherwise, it's stuck in this book and it's boring and it's academic and I'm not against intelligence and I'm not against education, I don't want to be misunderstood, but we have tell the stories to our young people a little bit early and history gives us a lot of things.”

People Want Giving Littles Book Done Stories Young Bits Little Bit Boring Stuck Storytelling Ancestor Academic Misunderstood

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“We all have our muses. My grandmother and my mother are the people I write for. I'll never have to worry about who buys my work, or who likes it, and who doesn't. The people who I want to be proud of me already are.”

People Want Writing Mother Worry Proud Likes Grandmother Muse Be Proud My Grandmother Proud Of Me

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I just think she was a wonderful woman. What I think of when I think of Nina [Simone] is someone that I could relate to, who didn't want anything from me, that could relate to me because I didn't want anything from her. It was nice.”

Thinking Want Nice Wonderful Relate Nina Wonderful Woman

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I knew Stokely [Carmichael] and them, but when you got to that, you saw that Nina Simone started to take up their burden. She started to preach for them. She was taking on the burden of "I want to tell the people."”

People Want Saws Burden Nina

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“My dream is a red dress Above my knees High-heel red sandals And me coming over the top The music booming Hi Howie I will say With a lovely smile I don't want to play the game I want to be it.”

Want Play Dream Games Red Dresses Lovely Knees Heels High Heels Over The Top Sandals

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Don't want to be near you for the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak.”

Want Speak Share Words Of Wisdom African American

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I want to be clear about this. If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.”

Ifs Want Writing Book Three Clear Empathy

Book:Conversations with Nikki Giovanni

Source: Conversations with Nikki Giovanni

“If I can't do what I want to do, then my job is to not do what I want to do. It's not the same thing, but it's the best thing I can do.”

Ifs Want I Can Jobs Can Do Best Things

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“If i can't have what i want . . . then my job is to want what i've got and be satisfied that at least there is something more to want”

Ifs Want I Can Jobs Satisfied

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Now, everything I do, I do because I want to. And I believe the best is yet to come.”

Want Believe I Believe Best Is Yet To Come

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

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