Nikki Giovanni
If now isn't a good time for the truth I don't see when we'll get to it.Collection: Truth
We love because it's the only true adventure.Collection: Love
For most of my life, I've thought of myself as pretty cool.Collection: Cool
I spend a lot of time learning about bird watching.Collection: Learning
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.Collection: Change
Now, everything I do, I do because I want to. And I believe the best is yet to come.Collection: Best
Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.Collection: Life
I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.Collection: Failure
Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying.Collection: Change
Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.Collection: Poetry
Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste.
Some say we are responsible for those we love. Others know we are responsible for those who love us.
We believe 'Peter Rabbit' because Beatrix Potter believes it. You have to.
A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.
We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained.
Hip-hop is a cultural expression - it's embracing.
I am totally fascinated by people and our history as I understand and continue to explore it. People have so much to give and so far to go and yet we have given and gone a great distance. It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.
Follow your image as far as you can no matter how useless you think it is. Push yourself.
If you don't understand yourself you don't understand anybody else.
If everybody became a poet the world would be much better. We would all read to each other.
I had a really nice childhood; I had great parents. I earned my allowance by washing dishes, and in the summer I earned my allowance by working in daddy's garden.
I'm just totally fascinated by people.
I am proud of the hip hop generation. They are good business people and, actually, good people.
We eat up artists like there's going to be a famine at the end.
There are things you stand up for because it's right.
White people really deal more with God and black people with Jesus.
There're two people in the world that are not likeable: a master and a slave.
I think one of the nicest things that we created as a generation was just the fact that we could say, 'Hey, I don't like white people.'
If I could come back as anything - I'd be a bird, first, but definitely the command key is my second choice.
You must invent your own games and teach us old ones how to play.
Sacred cows make very poor gladiators.
When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to grow again so that you can skin them again.
If you know what you're talking about, or if you feel that you do, the reader will believe you.
The catchword I use with my classes is: The authority of the writer always overcomes the skepticism of the reader.
The poet Melvin B. Tolson once said, 'A civilization is judged only in its decline.' That made sense to me. I would imagine the same is true for poets and tennis players.
Favorite poems are like favorite children. We definitely have them but we never tell as the others would have their feelings hurt.
I appreciate and enjoy my age.
Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way.Collection: Inspirational
She knows who she is, because she knows who she isn't.Collection: Identity
There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect.Collection: Happiness
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.Collection: Quilts
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.Collection: Strong
The unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.Collection: Trying
The only way you can grow is to let yourself make mistakes and create contradictions. As we learn new things, some of our old attitudes will change.Collection: Attitude
Mistakes are a fact of life. If you are willing to be wrong then you have earned the right to be right.Collection: Mistake
We have a world to conquer...one person at a time...starting with ourselves.Collection: Inspire
We are better than we think and not yet what we want to be.Collection: Thinking
Once you know who you are, you don't have to worry anymore.Collection: Worry
The poet can only write the poems; it takes the reader to complete the meaning.Collection: Book
I would put books on par with chocolate, because a good book is delicious.Collection: Book