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Quote by Audre Lorde

“stoicism and silence does not serve us nor our communities, only the forces of things as they are.”

Quote by Audre Lorde

Book:A Burst of Light: and Other Essays

Work

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays

This book is a compilation of thought-provoking essays that delve into a range of topics, offering insights and reflections on life, philosophy, and the human experience. more

Author

Audre Lorde, an American writer, poet, and speaker, was born on February 18, 1934, and passed away on November 17, 1992. Known for her profound insights into race, gender, and sexual orientation, her work encompasses poetry, prose, and novels, which have had a profound impact on contemporary literature and social movements. more

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“When I hear the deepest truths I speak coming out of my mouth sounding like my mother's, even remembering how I fought against her, I have to reassess both our relationship as well as the sources of my knowing.”

Wells Remember Mother Speak Knowing Source Mouths Coming Out Our Relationship

Book:Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

Source: Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

“In order to perpetuate itself, every oppression must corrupt or distort those various sources of power within the culture of the oppressed that can provide energy for change.”

Order Culture Energy Source Various Oppression Oppressed

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Source: Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

“When you are a member of an out-group, and you challenge others with whom you share this outsider position to examine some aspect of their lives that distorts differences between you, then there can be a great deal of pain.”

Pain Challenges Differences Deals Groups Share Position Members Aspect Outsiders Social Change

Book:Conversations with Audre Lorde

Source: Conversations with Audre Lorde

“Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it. ... pain will always either change or stop. Always. ... The confidence that it will change is what makes bearing it possible. So pain is fluid. It is only when you conceive of it as something static that it is unbearable.”

Important Pain Deals Unbearable Fluid Static

Book:Conversations with Audre Lorde

Source: Conversations with Audre Lorde

“Of all the art forms, poetry is the most economical. It is the one which is the most secret, which requires the least physical labor, the least material, and the one which can be done between shifts, in the hospital pantry, on the subway, and on scraps of surplus paper. ... poetry has been the major voice of poor, working class, and Colored women. A room of one's own may be a necessity for writing prose, but so are reams of paper, a typewriter, and plenty of time.”

Writing May Has Beens Art Done Form Voice Poor Rooms Secret Class Poverty Materials Paper Majors Labor Plenty Prose Poetry Is Hospitals Working Class Subway Scrap Typewriters Surplus Pantry

Author:Audre Lorde

“Poetry is not a luxury.”

Luxury Poetry Is

Book:Conversations with Audre Lorde

Source: Conversations with Audre Lorde

“pornography is a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling. Pornography emphasizes sensation without feeling.”

Feelings Direct Denial Sensations Pornography Erotic Suppression True Feelings

Book:Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

Source: Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

“Silence and invisibility go hand in hand with powerlessness.”

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Book:The Cancer Journals

Source: The Cancer Journals

“When you reach out and touch other human beings, it doesn't matter whether you call it therapy or teaching or poetry.”

Humans Matter Human Beings Teaching Therapy Reach Out

Book:Conversations with Audre Lorde

Source: Conversations with Audre Lorde

“I am not just a lesbian. I am not just a poet. I am not just a mother. Honor the complexity of your vision and yourselves.”

Mother Vision Poet Honor Complexity

Author:Audre Lorde