Best African American Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 23

“I have to go 150 percent or nothing at all.”

Giving Success Succeed Percent Entrepreneur Actresses Singers African American Being Successful Success In Life Key To Success Road To Success Recipe For Success Motivational Success Successful Women Give 100 Percent

Author:Patti LaBelle

“I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.”

People Inspirational Needs Believe Truth I Believe Ability Learning Study Taught African American Telling The Truth Black Women Responding Inquiring

Author:Septima Poinsette Clark

“Colored, Negro, Afro-American, African American. ... Every couple of years someone came up with something that got us an inch closer to the truth. Bit by bit we crept along. As if that thing we believed to be approaching actually existed.”

Ifs Years Bits Couple African American Inches Afros

Book:Apex Hides the Hurt

Source: Apex Hides the Hurt

“I was filled with rage. These same people who accuse Planned Parenthood of ‘targeting’ African-American children, they care about you only while you’re in the womb. The minute you crown, you’re on your own.”

People Children Care Minutes Filled Rage African American Parenthood Crowns Womb Planned Parenthood

Author:Gwen Moore

“Music is the universal language.”

Art Language Music Music Is Universal Hip Hop African American Universal Language

Author:Swizz Beatz

“If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best?”

Ifs Trying Success African American Being The Best Why Not Attempting Inventor Best Success

Author:Garrett Morgan

“Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations. If you adopt their attitudes, then the possibility won't exist because you'll have already shut it out...You can hear other people's wisdom, but you've got to re-evaluate the world for yourself.”

People Ifs World Inspirational Imagination Attitude Possibility African American Evaluate

Author:Mae Jemison

“Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity.”

Done Death Certain Humanity Dies Inspiring Wonderful Inspirational Life African American Black Women End Of Life Phenomenal Woman

Author:Maya Angelou

“Let the brain go to work, let it meet the heart and you will be able to forgive.”

Heart Able Inspiring Brain Forgiveness Forgiving African American Black Women Phenomenal Woman

Author:Maya Angelou

“Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm, when we look at each other we must say, I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself. We must support each other and empathize with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.”

“If they think they are doing something new, they ought to do what I do every day - spend at least two hours every day listening to Johann Sebastian Bach and, man, it's all there. If they want to improvise around a theme,which is the essence of jazz, they should learn from the master. He never wastes a note, and he knows where every note is going and when to bring it back. Some of these cats go way out and forget where they began or what they started to do. Bach will clear it up for them.”

“A lawyer’s either a social engineer or … a parasite on society … A social engineer [is] a highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyer who [understands] the Constitution of the United States and [knows] how to explore its uses in the solving of problems of local communities and in bettering conditions of the underprivileged citizens.”

“We African Americans have now spent the major part of the 20th Century battling racism”

Century Majors Racism African American Racist 20th Century

Author:Constance Baker Motley

“It's your life... why not fill it with as much joy as possible?”

Life Joy Women Inspirational Life African American Empowering Why Not Happy Life Filling

Author:Bonnie St. John

“Anger and humor are like the left and right arm. They complement each other. Anger empowers the poor to declare their uncompromising opposition to oppression, and humor prevents them from being consumed by their fury.”

Left Poor Arms Empowerment Oppression African American Empowering Opposition Consumed Fury Complement Uncompromising Left And Right

Book:Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare

Source: Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare

“Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations.”

People Black Imagination Inspiring African American American History Black History Business Growth Black History Month African American Women Black History Month Inspirational Black America African American History Black History Inspirational African American Love African American Inspirational African American History Month Black Inspirational

Author:Mae Jemison

“Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what's more than enough.”

Knows Said Enough Black Words Of Wisdom African American

Book:Lady Sings the Blues: The 50th-Anniversay Edition with a Revised Discography

Source: Lady Sings the Blues: The 50th-Anniversay Edition with a Revised Discography

“I knew that there were several, among African-American leaders, who had been put out by me because of my failure or reluctance to endorse Sen. Kerry”

Leader African American Reluctance

Author:Rodney Alexander

“One side of the street is a Church; across the road is a liquor store. Both of 'em keepin us poor.”

Sides Church Interesting Poor Streets Alcohol Stores African American Ems Rapper Liquor Anti Religion Liquor Stores

Author:Chuck D

“The truth is... everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.”

Helping Truth Action Poetry Hurt Influence Truth Is Add African American Counting

Author:Countee Cullen

“The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans.”

South African American

Author:Mary Landrieu

“It's time for democrats to grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe.”

Believe Political Time Grows Politician Democrat African American Backbone Stand Up

Author:Deval Patrick

“I don't necessarily believe there's a message in the fact that I'm an African-American Republican. I think there is a message that America as a whole, we are now awake. We are looking at a political construct and we're fairly disappointed. I think the message is no matter where you come from in this country, there is great potential.”

Thinking Believe Country Matter Whole Facts America Political Republican Messages African American Awake Disappointed Constructs Where You Come

Author:Tim Scott

“We talk about freedoms for African-Americans but unless you have more than one option politically, how free are you?”

Sports African American

Author:Lynn Swann

“People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they're African American. They're not us. They're impostors.”

People Faces Dark Perception African American

Author:Torii Hunter

“We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization.”

Love Inspirational Opportunity Peace Civilization African American Ministers Glorious Dimensions Inspirational Love Veins Baptists Injection

Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Source: The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“They say African Americans. I say black people. I've only been to Africa once. I've been in America all my life!”

People America Black Conservative African American Black People

Author:Herman Cain

“When caring for your neighbor becomes a compulsory obligation imposed by government instead of voluntary, charity turns to confiscation and freedom to achieve to involuntary servitude. To liberals, compassion seems to be defined by how many people are dependent on the government; to conservatives, it's defined by how many people no longer need help. One promotes dependence, the other freedom, responsibility and achievement.”

“You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way.”

Way Born Class Taught African American

Book:Lena

Source: Lena

“I'm not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner.”

Watches Sitting Tables African American Plates Ballots Diners

Author:Malcolm X

“I did not get on the bus to get arrested. I got on the bus to go home.”

Home African American Bus Arrested

Author:Rosa Parks

“Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate in the blessings of her luxuriant soil.”

Feels Firsts America Choices Black History Successful Blessing African American Soil Ancestor Entitled Black History Descendants

Author:Richard Allen

“I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all.”

Source: I Love Myself when I Am Laughing ... and Then Again when I Am Looking Mean and Impressive: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader

“The outside world told black kids when I was growing up that we weren't worth anything. But our parents said it wasn't so, and our churches and our schoolteachers said it wasn't so. They believed in us, and we, therefore, believed in ourselves.”

World Inspirational Said Kids Parent Black Church Growing Up Growing African American Outside World

Author:Marian Wright Edelman

“Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support. The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players. God Bless everyone and thank u so much.”

“Your wealth can be stolen, but the precious riches buried deep in your soul cannot.”

Soul Wealth Riches Singers African American Your Soul Buried Stolen Singer Songwriters Beautiful Soul

Author:Minnie Riperton

“I had this idea that I wanted to do this mixture of visions of African American women and visions of African American men. And call it 'The Men' and call it 'The Women' and show different faces of these two people.”

People Men Two Ideas Different Shows Wanted Faces Vision He Man African American Mixtures American Woman African American Women Different Faces

Author:Faith Ringgold

“My first novel, Leaving Atlanta, took at look at my hometown in the late 1970s, when the city was terrorized by a serial murderer that left at least 29 African-American children dead.”

Firsts Looks Children Left Cities Novel Late Leaving African American Murderer Hometown Serials Atlanta

Author:Tayari Jones

“Being alive and being a woman is all I got, but being colored is a metaphysical dilemma I haven't conquered yet.”

Women Alive Havens Feminist Conquer African American Black People Metaphysics Metaphysical Dilemma Being A Woman Colored Girls

Author:Ntozake Shange

“What comes forth from you as an artist cannot be controlled. But you have responsibilities as a global citizen. Your history dictates your duty. And by writing about black people, you are not limiting yourself. The experiences of African-Americans are as wide open as God's closet.”

People Writing Artist Black Responsibility Duty Citizens Wide African American Controlled Black People Closets Global Citizen Limiting Yourself

Author:August Wilson

“I know I’m an African-American, and I know I play the saxophone, but I’m not a jazz musician. I’m not a classical musician, either. My music is like my life: It’s in between these areas.”

Knows Play Musician Music Is Areas Jazz African American Classical Music Jazz Music Saxophone Jazz Musician Classical Musicians

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I suggest that Black feminist thought consists of specialised knowledge created by African-American women which clarifies a standpoint of and for Black women. In other words, Black feminist thought encompasses theoretical interpretations of Black women's reality by those who live it.”

Reality Black Feminist African American Interpretation Black Women Theoretical Standpoint American Woman African American Women Black Feminist

Author:Patricia Hill Collins

“The potential significance of Black feminist thought goes far beyond demonstrating that African-American women can be theorists. Like Black feminist practice, which it reflects and which it seeks to foster, Black feminist thought can create a collective identity among African-American women about the dimensions of a Black women's standpoint. Through the process of rearticulating, Black feminist thought can offer African-American women a different view of ourselves and our worlds”

“We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had a private notion of children. Your kid is yours and totally your responsibility. We haven't had a very collective notion of these are our children. So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.”

“An important aspect of the current situation is the strong social reaction against suggestions that the home language of African American children be used in the first steps of learning to read and write.”

Writing Firsts Children Important Home Used Language Strong Social Situation Steps Aspect Currents Reactions African American First Steps Suggestions Learning To Read Current Situation

Author:William Labov

“I believe in destiny. But I also believe that you can’t just sit back and let destiny happen. A lot of times, an opportunity might fall into your lap, but you have to be ready for that opportunity. You can’t sit there waiting on it. A lot of times you are going to have to get out there and make it happen.”

“We’ve gone through the names—Negro, African American, African, Black. For me that’s an indication of a people still trying to find their identity. Who determines what is black?”

People Trying Stills Names Black Gone Identity Determine African American Black History Indication

Author:Spike Lee

“The potential for greatness lives within us all.”

“Once my loved one accepted the diagnosis, healing began for the entire family, but it took too long. It took years. Can't we, as a nation, begin to speed up that process? We need a national campaign to destigmatize mental illness, especially one targeted toward African Americans. The message must go on billboards and in radio and TV public service announcements. It must be preached from pulpits and discussed in community forums. It's not shameful to have a mental illness. Get treatment. Recovery is possible.”

“People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don't want to be perceived as having yet another deficit.”

People Want Feels Race Color Conscious African American Deficit Stigma

Author:Bebe Moore Campbell

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African American Quotes