Favorite poems are like favorite children. We definitely have them but we never tell as the others would have their feelings hurt.
Nikki GiovanniRead
Style has a profound meaning to Black Americans. If we can’t drive, we will invent walks and the world will envy the dexterity of our feet. If we can’t have ham, we will boil chitterlings; if we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers; if given scraps, we will make quilts; take away our drums, and we will clap our hands. We prove the human spirit will prevail. We will take what we have to make what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge of who we are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes resilience and creativity in the face of adversity.
Nikki Giovanni's quote speaks to the indomitable spirit of Black Americans, highlighting their ability to adapt and thrive regardless of challenges. It reflects a profound sense of pride in cultural identity and resourcefulness, suggesting that when faced with limitations, creativity and strength can transform hardship into beauty and empowerment. Ultimately, it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the necessity of self-knowledge and confidence.
Themes
ResilienceCreativityIdentityEmpowermentResourcefulnessStrength
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire students at a graduation ceremony to embrace challenges with creativity.
More from Nikki Giovanni
All quotes →I want to be clear about this. If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.
Nikki GiovanniRead
A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it.
Nikki GiovanniRead
Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste.
Nikki GiovanniRead
If you were a pure bolt of fire-cutting the skies I'd touch you-risking my life-not because I'm brave or strong, but because I'm fascinated by what the outcome would be.
Nikki GiovanniRead
Don't want to be near you for the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak.
Nikki GiovanniRead
Similar quotes
If you hate the war, that’s fine. But you should still support the troops. They don’t get to pick where they’re deployed. They just gave the American people a blank check for anything up to and including the value of their lives, and the least everyone else can do is be thankful. Buy them dinner. Mow their yard. Bake them cookies.
Chris KyleRead
Fighter pilots have ice in their veins. They don't have emotions. They think, anticipate. They know that fear and other concerns cloud your mind from what's going on and what you should be involved in.
Buzz AldrinRead
It is heroic to prepare for war with a tyrant power. Patriots will always win the admiration of mankind for daring to meet the bloodshed of battle for their country's liberty. But the patriot who is willing to go to that sacrifice will be the first to condemn the aimless and secret shedding of blood in time of peace.
John Boyle O'ReillyRead
Who are your favourite heroines in real life? The women of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran who risk their lives and their beauty to defy the foulness of theocracy. Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Azar Nafisi as their ideal feminine model.
Christopher HitchensRead
The fears that assault us are mostly simple anxieties about social skills, about intimacy, about likeableness, or about performance. We need not give emotional food or charge to these fears or become attached to them. We don’t even have to shame ourselves for having these fears. Simply ask your fears, “What are you trying to teach me?” Some say that FEAR is merely an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” From Everything Belongs, p. 143
Richard RohrRead
I was fighting a small fight of my own which wasn't leading _x000D_ anywhere-but like a man with a bent spoon trying to dig through a cement wall I knew that a small fight was better than quitting: it _x000D_ kept the heart alive.
Charles BukowskiRead