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Quote by Toni Morrison

“Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? The Lion or the Mouse? Poppy or the Snake?”

Author

Toni Morrison is an American novelist known for her profound portrayal of the history and culture of African Americans. Her works often explore issues of race, gender, and identity, with her most famous novels being 'The Bluest Eye' and 'Sula'. more

“Listening to the doves in Alfred, Georgia, and having neither the right nor the permission to enjoy it because in that place mist, doves, sunlight, copper dirt, moon-everything belonged to the men who had the guns. . . . So you protected yourself and loved small. . . . A woman, a child, a brother-a big love like that would split you wide open in Alfred, Georgia. . . . To get to a place where you could love anything you chose-not to need permission for desire-well now, that was freedom”

Men Needs Wells Children Bigs Desire Enjoy He Man Brother Listening Moon Gun Wide Protected Splits Sunlight Permission Dirt Mist Georgia Dove Copper

Author:Toni Morrison

“All the books that were being published by African-American guys were saying 'screw whitey', or some variation of that. Not the scholars but the pop books. And the other thing they said was, 'You have to confront the oppressor.' I understand that. But you don't have to look at the world through his eyes. I'm not a stereotype; I'm not somebody else's version of who I am. And so when people said at that time black is beautiful – yeah? Of course. Who said it wasn't? So I was trying to say, in The Bluest Eye, wait a minute. Guys. There was a time when black wasn't beautiful. And you hurt.”

“All paradises, all utopias are designed by who is not there, by the people who are not allowed in.”

People Paradise Utopia

Author:Toni Morrison

“We read about how Ajax and Achilles will die for each other, but very little about the friendship of women.”

Littles Dies Achilles Ajax

Author:Toni Morrison

“A man ain't nothing but a man. But a son? Well, now, that's somebody.”

Men Wells Son

Author:Toni Morrison

“All the time, I'm afraid the thing that happened that made it all right for my mother to kill my sister could happen again. I don't know what it is, I don't know who it is, but maybe there is something else terrible enough to make her do it again. I need to know what that thing might be, but I don't want to. Whatever it is, it comes from outside this house, outside the yard, and it can come right on in the yard if it wants to. So I never leave this house and I watch over the yard, so it can't happen again and my mother won't have to kill me too.”

Ifs Knows Want Needs Made Enough Might Happens Mother House Watches Happened Terrible Made It Beloved My Sister Yards Kill Me

Author:Toni Morrison

“The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.”

Art Able Beautiful Political Ought Art Is Revolutionary Best Art

Book:What Moves at the Margin: Selected Nonfiction

Source: What Moves at the Margin: Selected Nonfiction

“I really want some meaning. It used to be easy to toss it off. Now it's harder and harder. You have to navigate just to find something that has nourishment. It's the absence of nourishment. What do you do in place of nourishment? It's usually junk. Either it's junk food or junk clothes or junk ideas.”

Want Ideas Used Easy Clothes Harder Absence Used To Be Junk Nourishment Toss Navigate Junk Food

Author:Toni Morrison

Quote by Toni Morrison

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