Literary History, The Present, Dark With Silences, The Tedious Agony, Tillie Olsen

“Literary history and the present are dark with silences . . . I have had special need to learn all I could of this over the years, myself so nearly remaining mute and having to let writing die over and over again in me. These are not natural silences--what Keats called agonie ennuyeuse (the tedious agony)--that necessary time for renewal, lying fallow, gestation, in the natural cycle of creation. The silences I speak of here are unnatural: the unnatural thwarting of what struggles to come into being, but cannot.” ― Tillie Olsen

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/89863.Tillie_Olsen.

Any Female, Needs Anything, Giving Away Her Power, Bell Hooks

“If any female feels she needs anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power.” - Bell Hooks

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 156.

End of Your Rope, Hang On, Franklin D. Roosevelt

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Found at Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/franklin_d_roosevelt_101840.

Problem, Needs Solving, Someone, Do Something, You, Hillary Clinton

“If you’ve looked at a problem that needs solving in your community and thought to yourself, ‘Someone should really do something about that!’ I’ve got some news for you: That someone could be you.” - Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on National Run for Office Day, via Twitter.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2020, page 6.

Relationships, Commitment, Loyalty, Love, Patience, Persistence, Cornel West

“We have to recognise that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” ― Cornel West, Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6176.Cornel_West.

Take A Risk, Grow Old, Alice Walker

“Take a risk – grow old.” - Alice Walker

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 53.

Real Courage, Gun, When You Know You're Licked, But You Begin, Atticus Finch, Harper Lee

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." - (Atticus Finch) ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Found on Goodreads, at https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird.

Rape, Not Punishment, Drunk, Chanel Miller, Emily Doe

“[Rape] is not a punishment for getting drunk.” - Survivor Chanel Miller, known as Emily Doe in Stanford swimmer Brock Turner’s rape trail, on 60 minutes.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2020, page 6.

Wheels of Justice, Hurry Them, Wally Amos

“The wheels of justice grind slowly, and there's nothing you can do to hurry them.” Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corp., and a new company, Uncle Noname, in Parade Magazine, May 22, 1994

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 5.

Note: But we can try...

Test of Our Progress, Abundance, Provide Enough, Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/franklin_d_roosevelt_163168.

Stupidity, Clearly in Retrospect, Missed Chances, Stephen King

“...stupidity is one of the two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances.” - Stephen King

Found on https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/506731-stupidity-is-one-of-the-two-things-we-see-most.

Women, Time to Vote, Self Interest, Michelle Williams

“Women...when it is time to vote, please do so in your own self interest. It’s what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them. But don’t forget that we are the largest voting body in this country. Let’s make it look more like us.” - Actor Michelle Williams, accepting a Golden Globe for her starring role in Fosse/Verdon with an impassioned speech in support of abortion rights.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2020, page 6.

Rock the Boat, Turn it Over, Maya Angelou

“I still feel you should rock the boat. And if you're not in it, you should turn it over.” - Maya Angelou, in Conversations with Maya Angelou, 1989

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 10.

Country, Deep Trouble, Rich Life, Serving Others, Cornel West

“The country is in deep trouble. We've forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it. We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people, the courage to fight for social justice. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that's the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word.” ― Cornel West

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6176.Cornel_West.

Acting, Most Minor of Gifts, Katharine Hepburn

“Acting is the most minor of gifts. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four.” - Katharine Hepburn

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 31.

Democracy, Choose Wisely, Education, Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/franklin_d_roosevelt_402955.

Burn Books, Destroy a Culture, Stop Reading, Ray Bradbury

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=✓&q=ray+bradbury&commit=Search.

Experience, Lesson, Power, Wally Amos

“Every experience has a lesson...You give things power over yourself and then they own you.” - Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corp., and a new company, Uncle Noname, in Parade Magazine, May 22, 1994

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 5.

God, Ability, Inability, Availability, Mary Kay Ash

“God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability.” - Mary Kay Ash

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 3.

Food Stamp Recipients, Financial Crisis, Barack Obama

"Food Stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did." - Barack Obama

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam733938.html

E.L. Doctorow, Writing a Novel, Driving a Car at Night, Anne Lamott

“E.L. Doctorow said once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice on writing, or life, I have ever heard.” ― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Found on GoodReads at Anne Lamott's quote page.

Never Consent to Creep, Impulse to Soar, Helen Keller

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” - Helen Keller

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 26.

Do the Things, Cannot Do, Eleanor Roosevelt

"You must do the things you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eleanorroo100870.html.

Drunk On Writing, Reality, Ray Bradbury

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” ― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1630.Ray_Bradbury.

Strong Men, Role Models, Powerful, Michelle Obama

“Because let's be very clear, strong men, men who are truly role models, don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful.” - First lady Michelle Obama, campaigning for Clinton in October after the release of Donald Trump's Access Hollywood video.

From Ms Magazine: Winter 2016, page 6.

Real Love, Real Union, Communion, Rules, Bell Hooks

“In real love, real union, or communion there are now rules.” - bell hooks, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Fall 1992

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 97.

Dance, Poem, Movement, Mata Hari

“The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.” - Mata Hari

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 31.

Book, Want to Read, You Must Write It, Toni Morrison

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

Found on Brainy Quote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/toni_morrison_161280.

Ordinary People, Elites, Abuse, Subjections, Courage, Cornel West

“When ordinary people wake up, elites begin to tremble in their boots. They can't get away with their abuse. They can't get away with subjection. They can't get away with subjugation. They can't get away with exploitation. They can't get away with domination. It takes courage for folk to stand up.” ― Cornel West, Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6176.Cornel_West.

Understanding, Two-Way Street, Eleanor Roosevelt

"Understanding is a two-way street." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eleanorroo133886.html.