“I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act, write, speak, be, I’ll be sending messages on a Ouija board, cryptic complaints from the other side.” –Audre Lord
Society isn’t too keen on Blacks, women and the gay community. A Black lesbian, Audre had nearly all odds against her. However, out of struggle comes triumph. Out of the community of the oppressed, the liberal arts are born. And liberal arts, at its traditional definition, are studies that are fundamental for a free person to master in order to acquire the qualities that distinguished a free person from slaves –the latter of whom formed the greater number of the population in the classical world. And Audre was a maestro of the liberal arts, dropping timeless jewels such as this quote.
“If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it.” — Anaïs Nin
I was actually introduced to Anaïs Nin by E. J. Dickey. In Pleasure, the main character read and quoted Anaïs often. It spurred me to check her out. Once I did, there was no looking back. I was obsessed with this woman for a good while afterwards. And if you notice, this quote is a near-direct reflection of one of Big Krit’s quotes in that “If it don’t touch my soul then I can’t listen to it.” As a reader, if the words don’t touch my soul then I can’t read it. As a writer, if the words ain’t touching my soul then I can’t write it. Through writing, I breathe, cry out and sing.
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” –Guillaume Apollinaire
Once I decided that I wanted to become an author, my life kicked into overdrive. In addition to being a full-time senior in college, full-time 911 dispatcher, and married mother of two, I now had a 80,000+ word document to write, rewrite and rewrite again before the self-publishing process could even begin. I vented all of this to one of my girlfriends, who, the next day, tagged me in this quote on Facebook. A definite #Instafave
“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.” –Hugh Laurie
If I waited until I was ready, I would never get anything accomplished. Excuses run too deep. They’ll outrun you, if you let them. I’m not ready right now, the kids aren’t grown yet. I’m not ready right now, my money ain’t right. I’m not ready right now, I have too much on my plate. This quote embodies all of that. It’s a terrible thing in life to sit around waiting until you’re ready.
“When you are interiorly free, you call others to freedom whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears. A free man or a free woman creates a space where others want to dwell. Our world is so full of conditions, demands, requirements and obligations that we often wonder what is expected of us. But when we meet a truly free person, there are no expectations, only an invitation to reach into ourselves and discover there our own freedom.” –Henri Nouwen
This quote makes me hum every time. It brings to mind all the authors that I listed yesterday, the owners of all these quotes, and the many amazing souls in my life who all stand as Lighthouses for me. Having been blessed by them, I make sure to voice my appreciation and go on to be the invitation for the next person to reach into themselves and discover their own freedom.
As a woman and/or writer, which quotes warm your belly the most?