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Quote by 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.”

Quote by Nikki Giovanni

Author

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. more

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“History is wonderful. We have so much we can learn if we would quit making ideology out of history, and just deal with what happened.”

Ifs Deals Wonderful Happened Quitting Ideology

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I’m a big fan of history—applying the lessons as well as the joys and sadness. If we pay attention, we would see how we affect each other. In terms of time, we are not that far from one another. If we were to look back a century, it would seem like a long time; but, if we look at it by decades then it’s only 10 years, and by generations it’s only five.”

Ifs Years Wells Looks Long Bigs Seems Joy Term Pay Attention Five Generations Sadness Fans Century Lessons Long Time Decades Pay Attention Joy And Sadness

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“I'm an old storyteller. I tell the story. It's about the story.”

Stories Storyteller

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Poetry is like air. It's one of the necessary things. Everyone benefits from poetry. And as you know, poetry is international. There are only two things that are truly international, poetry and wine.”

Knows Two Air Benefits Wine International Two Things Poetry Is Necessary Things

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“Photographers direct the eye toward a particular object. We who write, one hopes, are directing the heart and the soul.”

Writing Heart Soul Eye Objects Particular Direct Photographer

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

“Poets can tell the truth as they see it. It’s the author’s story, the author’s voice.”

Stories Voice Poet Telling The Truth

Author:Nikki Giovanni

“The only way you can grow is to let yourself make mistakes and create contradictions. As we learn new things, some of our old attitudes will change.”

Way Grows Mistake Attitude Contradiction Making Mistakes New Things

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