Quotes: Duke Ellington

"There is no art without intention."

–– Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American Jazz pianist and composer 

via: Commonplace Book, 1999-2001, 2001.

Quotes: Nelson Mandela

"As we let our light shine, we give others permission to do the same."

–– Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, South Africa's first Black president (1994-1999), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1993 

via: Commonplace Book 1999-2001, 2001.

Quotes: Duke Ellington

"Art is dangerous. That is one of its attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous, you don't want it." 

–– Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American Jazz pianist and composer 

via: Commonplace Book, 1999-2001, 2001.

Quotes: Octavia Butler

"All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change."

–– Octavia Butler (1947-2006), American science fiction writer 

via: Vote Knapsack Sketchbook, 2020, p. 32.

Quotes: Oprah Winfrey

"You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything."

–– Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954), American talk show host, TV producer, actress, author, and philanthropist 

Quotes: Nelson Mandela

"There can be no greater gift than that of giving one's time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return."

–– Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, South Africa's first Black president (1994-1999), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1993 

Quotes: Janelle Monáe

"Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn't have to become perfect because I've learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness."

–– Janelle Monáe (b. 1985), American singer, rapper and actress

Quotes: Miles Davis

"For me, music and life are all about style."

–– Miles Davis (1926-1991), American musician, bandleader, and composer 

Quotes: Alice Walker

"Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming."

–– Alice Walker (b. 1944), American writer and activist 

Quotes: James Baldwin

"Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one an identity, the end of safety." 

–– James Baldwin (1924-1987), American writer and activist 

Quotes: Maya Angelou

"If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be."

–– Maya Angelou (1928-2014), American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist 

Quotes: Langston Hughes

"An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose."

 –– Langston Hughes (1901-1967), American writer and social activist 

Quotes: Octavia Butler

"People who want to write either do it or they don't. At last I began to say that my most important talent – or habit – was persistence. Without it, I would have given up writing long before I finished my first novel. It's amazing what we can do if we simply refuse to give up."

–– Octavia Butler (1947-2006), American science fiction writer 

Quotes: Marcus Garvey

"Always try to associate with people from whom you can learn something. All the knowledge that you want is in the world, and all you have to do is go and seek it." 

–– Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator 

Quotes: Nicki Minaj

"If you don't have critics, you probably don't have success either." 

–– Nicki Minaj (b. 1982), Trinidad and Tobago rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, radio personality

Quotes: Langston Hughes

"A dream deferred is a dream denied." 

–– Langston Hughes (1901-1967), American writer and social activist 

Quotes: Nnedi Okorafor

"Its ok to care about what other people think, but you should give a little more weight to what you, yourself, think. ... The habit of thinking is the habit of gaining strength. You're stronger than you believe."

–– Nnedi Okorafor (b. 1974), Nigerian-American writer, professor

Quotes: Miles Davis

"It's not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change."

–– Miles Davis (1926-1991), American musician, bandleader, and composer 

Quotes: Erykah Badu

"You don't have to believe everything you think." 

–– Erykah Badu (b. 1971), American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress 

Quotes: Nelson Mandela

"You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself."

–– Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, South Africa's first Black president (1994-1999), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1993