There is something to say about culminated wisdom. Where the words of one may lack, taking collective wisdom to use for inspiration, motivation, and encouragement can produce a subtle spark of change. This is why I enjoy going back to quotes from those whose experiences I have not known myself, but challenges, lessons, and successes I can learn from.
In this post, I'll share little pearls of wisdom from innovators, creatives, artists, and game-changers in honor of Black History Month. May one resonate with you and give you the drive you need to push forward.
“It’s up to you to bring yourself to the attention of powerful people around you. They’re not going to find you on their own.” — Richard Parsons
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” — Frederick Douglass
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” — Lena Horne
“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” — Wilma Rudolph
“Just don’t give up what you’re trying to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald
“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.” — Marian Wright Edelman
“The impatient idealist says: ‘Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.’ But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.” — Chinua Achebe
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — Barack Obama
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” — Maya Angelou
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." — Wilma Rudolph
“Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations.” — Mae Jemison
“Success isn't about how much money you make; it's about the difference you make in people's lives.” — Michelle Obama
"If you wake up deciding what you want to give versus what you're going to get, you become a more successful person. In other words, if you want to make money, you have to help someone else make money." –Russell Simmons
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." –Langston Hughes
"Education is transformational. It changes lives. That is why people work so hard to become educated and why education has always been the key to the American Dream, the force that erases arbitrary divisions of race and class and culture and unlocks every person's God-given potential." –Condoleezza Rice
“The road back may not be as short as we wish,… But there are solid reasons to feel confident about the future.” — Richard Parsons
“Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.” — Cicely Tyson
“Discipline is not a dirty word. There is far more freedom and opportunity for creativity and success in enjoying discipline. Years ago someone I very much respect told me the reason they were successful is that they embraced doing what other people resent or are reluctant to do.” — Janice Bryant Howroyd
"Keep going. No matter what." - Reginald Lewis
"Self-love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It's about accepting all of yourself." - Tyra Banks
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” – Shirley Chisholm
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Y. Davis
“Loving God is like my being Black. I just am. [No one says] ‘You know what? I’m gonna be blacker today!’ It’s my culture. It’s not something I put on or take off or show more. You just communicate that in the way you live your life.” —Angela Bassett
