Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist is a honored and revered for her rich use of language and the unforgettable, sometimes heart clenching, African-American experiences.
I was first introduced to Toni Morrison by watching an segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show back in the late 90s. Her book, "Beloved," was made into a movie and Oprah played, Sethe, the mother of three haunted by her horrific slave experience and actions of freedom. This book turned movie was intense, just like the rest of her literary legacy including her first novel, "The Bluest Eye," "Sula," and "Song of Solomon."
This awesome woman affectionately shared how her parents instilled a deep sense of heritage and language into her through songs and stories at a young age. Her strength, wisdom, and now divine guidance as she reigns with the Ancestors will forever be a part of my life. Here are some of my favorite quotes for this beautifully extraordinary woman.
“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
"You are the best thing."
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
“As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.”
“Don’t ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn’t fall in love, I rose in it.”
“Anything dead coming back to life hurts.”
“To get to a place where you could love anything you chose – not to need permission for desire – well now that was freedom.”
“I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it.”
“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.”
“Anger…it’s a paralyzing emotion…you can’t get anything done. People sort of think it’s an interesting, passionate, and igniting feeling — I don’t think it’s any of that — it’s helpless…”
“Writing is really a way of thinking – not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet.”
“What’s the world for you if you can’t make it up the way you want it?”
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
“You can’t own a human being. You can’t lose what you don’t own.”
“If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.”
“What difference do it make if the thing you scared of is real or not?”
“And I am all the things I have ever loved: scuppernong wine, cool baptisms in silent water, dream books and number playing.”
And my absolute favorite:
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
This is my absolute favorite because I am a writer at heart. I enjoy telling stories and creating real, relevant experiences that people can learn, grow, transform their lives. I want to facilitate a journey of self discovery whether that is through a make believe or a memoir!
If there is a story within you and you are ready to share it with the world, I can support you. I have helped many writers go deep within to write and publish their book. If you believe you have story to share, let's connect with an Inspired Writer Complimentary Session.
I believe in you.
You can do this!
Love,
