There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt. Audre Lorde
Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts. Nikki Giovanni
It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. Lena Horne
In the long run, there is not much discrimination against superior talent. It constrains men to recognize it. Carter G. Woodson
As I give, I get. Mary McLeod Bethune
I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me. Althea Gibson
There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. Booker T. Washington
If you don't ask, you don't get. Stevie Wonder
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. Malcolm X
There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure. Barbara Jordan
Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company. Booker T. Washington
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 let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him. Booker T. Washington
Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose. Billie Holiday
Don't bring negative to my door. Maya Angelou
I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result. Michael Jordan
Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have. Oprah Winfrey
Let me tell young people this - you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. It may even be necessary to encounter some defeats to know who you are. Maya Angelou
Stumbling is not falling. Malcolm X
And my goal in life is to give to the world what I was lucky to receive: the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance. Michael Jackson
A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there. Spike Lee
I believe in wishes and in a person's ability to make a wish come true, I really do. And a wish is more than a wish.. it's a goal that your conscience and sub-conscience can help make reality. Michael Jackson
Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle! Stevie Wonder
If I thought of the number of people who were watching me as I got ready to shoot, I’d miss it. Michael Jordan
Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation. Michael Jordan
There's a place in me that can really relate to being the underdog. I'm always fighting to overcome the obstacle. I can really understand what's that about. Halle Berry
And I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams. Wilma Rudolph
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine. Ralph Waldo Emerson
You can't win unless you learn how to lose. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just an experience, just an experience. Oprah Winfrey
Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it. Maya Angelou
As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think. Toni Morrison
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. Langston Hughes
Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle. Wilma Rudolph
I am a businessman. This is what I do each and every day. I love it. I love coming to work. I never have a bad day. Earvin Magic Johnson
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. Oprah Winfrey
Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise. Kobe Bryant
I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Oprah Winfrey
I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself. Jesse Owens
If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. Maya Angelou
I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation. Michael Jackson
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
So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground. Oprah Winfrey
Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible. Pearl Bailey
I am not afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome such a law suit. Carter G. Woodson
No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to flee and fly high. No government, no legislature, has a right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams. Jesse Jackson
Our dreams must be stronger than our memories. We must be pulled by our dreams, rather than pushed by our memories. Jesse Jackson
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. Jesse Owens
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it sags like a heavy load. Or does it just explode? Langston Hughes, Dream Deferred
What I know for sure is that it's only when you make the process your goal that the big dream can follow. That doesn't necessarily mean your process will necessarily lead you to wealth or fame. In fact, your dream may have nothing to do with tangible prosperity and everything to do with creating a life filled with joy, one with no regrets and a clear conscience. I've learned that wealth is a tool that gives you choices, but it can't compensate for a life not fully lived and it certainly can't create a sense of peace within you. Oprah Winfrey
If you want to get an idea across, wrap it up in a person. Ralph Bunche
Keep working hard and you can get anything that you want. If God gave you the talent, you should go for it. But don't think it's going to be easy. It's hard! Aaliyah
You face the biggest challenge of all: to have the courage to seek your big dream regardless of what anyone says. You are the only person alive who can see your big picture and even you can't see it all. Oprah Winfrey
I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying. Michael Jordan
You must never stop dreaming. Face reality, yes. But don't stop with the way things are; dream of things as they ought to be. Dream of peace. Peace is rational and reasonable. War is irrational in this age and un-winnable. Jesse Jackson
I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don't think there is anything such as complete happiness. It pains me that there is still a lot of Klan activity and racism. I think when you say you're happy, you have everything that you need and everything that you want, and nothing more to wish for. I haven't reached that stage yet. Rosa Parks I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life. Tina Turner No one can degrade us except ourselves. Booker T. Washington
No one, Eleanor Roosevelt said, can make you feel inferior without your consent. Never give it. Marian Wright Edelman
Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher. Oprah Winfrey
When you get into this business you have to grow up quickly. But I wouldn't say I've lost any of my childhood, I've always been a mature child. My Mom says I've been like that since I was little kid. I make time for my friends and I make time for things that other kids do. This is a business and I knew what I was getting into. I make time for being a kid, but I also know when to put on my business hat and go for the business. Aaliyah
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it... I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it's an illusion to me. Michael Jordan There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time. Malcolm X
Don't look at someone else and want to be them. Search within yourself and find out who you are and be someone positive. Kelly Rowland
Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth. Mike Tyson
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela
Be honest, brutally honest. That is what's going to maintain relationships. Lauryn Hill
Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don't even have to like your music. If you're big enough, people are drawn to you. Jay-Z
Too much freedom can lead to the soul's decay. Prince America is still the No. 1 killer in the world. Jeremiah Wright
If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. Barack Obama
I knew Snoop Dog didn't start misogyny. I knew that Tupac Shakur didn't start sexism, and God knows that Dr. Dre didn't start patriarchy. Yet they extended it in vicious form within their own communities. They made vulnerable people more vulnerable. Michael Eric Dyson
If you stop at general math, you're only going to make general math money. Snoop Dogg
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix
To reach your goal authentically is probably, in the end, going to mean much more to you than having reached it in a false way. K'naan
My ambition didn't grow out of nowhere. It was planted in me by a community that nurtured me. Michael Eric Dyson
Excuse me while I kiss the sky. Jimi Hendrix
I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That's what this world is about. You look at someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time, and trying to be brighter. Jay-Z
Comparison is an act of violence against the self. Iyanla Vanzant
That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind. Mos Def
I don't believe in that kind of American John Wayne individualism where people pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Someone changed your diapers. And if that's the case, you ain't self-made. Michael Eric Dyson
Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate. Mos Def
I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift. Mos Def
Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and sisters miss the fact that there would be no black church if the white church wasn't political and racist in refusing to worship with us. Michael Eric Dyson
I don't feel political most of the time. Sometimes I'm placed in positions because no one else will go there. K'naan
I think right about now we have to beware of marketed Malcolms and Martins. Real people do real things. Chuck D
All of us have ways in which we mask and cover our pain. Iyanla Vanzant
A lot of times black folks look for love in all the wrong places. You're always looking for somebody to love you, be accepted, and there's the insecurities that are even transmitted through rap. Everyone is trying to aim to please too much. Chuck D
Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and when people start getting it confused, that means they need to sit down with some real people. Chuck D
I think traveling the world has helped to keep Public Enemy alive. We've never solely depended on the United States. Chuck D
If you're not willing to let your partner see your cellulite or know your biggest fears, then you aren't really ready to share yourself. Iyanla Vanzant
I'd rather tell you how I really feel. Drake
I would say that I'm more moved by melody, even though I love to rap. Drake
I'm mischievous, but I'm calculated. Drake
I don't want to be understood because if people understand me, they get tired of me. Lil Wayne
I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues. Duke Ellington
When I found out that there was eight Presidents before George Washington, I wanted to smack somebody. Prince
My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never. Duke Ellington
One thing the music industry has taught me is to manage my expectations. Q-Tip
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. Nelson Mandela
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
There's a dark side to everything. Prince
By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with. Duke Ellington
The less I have, the freer I am to do whatever I want to do. Lauryn Hill
We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost. Jeremiah Wright
It's so easy for a kid to join a gang, to do drugs... we should make it that easy to be involved in football and academics. Snoop Dogg
Time is a mind construct. It's not real. Prince
It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela
If someone lacked decency or respect, I didn't allow that person to stay in my world. Gabrielle Union
A man is a god in ruins. Duke Ellington
I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes. Jimi Hendrix
I'm a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds. Mike Tyson
Reality is easy. It's deception that's the hard work. Lauryn Hill
I think it's a mistake to work on success in career. I've worked on my passions obsessively. How can I say what I want to say more precisely than the last time I said it? Success is such an elusive concept. When you work for it, I think you get it in a way you might regret it. K'naan
The black community in Hollywood is very small and close-knit. Everyone has a common goal: to make a two-hour movie in 30 days. Gabrielle Union
Hollywood needs to recognise all shades of African American beauty. Gabrielle Union
The burden of poverty isn't just that you don't always have the things you need, it's the feeling of being embarrassed every day of your life, and you'd do anything to lift that burden. Jay-Z
Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. Jimi Hendrix I don't worship the Bible, I worship the God who gave the Bible. Michael Eric Dyson
Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living? Bob Marley
I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing. Ice Cube
So if diva means giving your best, then yes, I guess I am a diva. Patti LaBelle
One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am. Michelle Obama
Hip-hop is still cool at a party. But to me, hip-hop has never been strictly a party; it is also there to elevate consciousness. Saul Williams
As actors, you become an expert at starting over. Lupita Nyong'o
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice. Bill Cosby
I think it's healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care - that you work hard and want to give a great performance. You just have to channel that nervous energy into the show. Beyonce Knowles
Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight. Bob Marley
I had to face a lot coming through this journey, a lot of sacrifices, difficulties, challenges, and injuries. Gabby Douglas
I'm a human being and I fall in love and sometimes I don't have control of every situation. Beyonce Knowles
Human beings have an instinct for freedom. Lupita Nyong'o
The responsibility of an artist is to be honest with themselves. Talib Kweli
People often say I have so much energy, that I never stop; but that's what it takes to accomplish your goals. 50 Cent
What's wrong with hip-hop is the system that controls the definition of it. There needs to be more balance on the airwaves. Saul Williams
I love listening to Lil' Wayne, Drake, and Eminem to get me fired up! Gabby Douglas
I feel privileged that people are looking up to me, and perhaps a dream will be born because of my presence. Lupita Nyong'o
Choose people who lift you up. Michelle Obama
Don't worry about being a star, worry about doing good work, and all that will come to you. Ice Cube
Do what you love; you'll be better at it. It sounds pretty simple, but you'd be surprised how many people don't get this one right away. LL Cool J
I remember back in the day when Chuck D called hip-hop the 'black people's CNN.' Well now, hip-hop is more like Fox News. It's biased, and highly suspect. Saul Williams
Ever since we were little, we were so on fire for our dreams. We never let anyone blow our flames out. Kelly Rowland
Gold medals are made out of sweat, blood and tears and effort in the gym every day. Gabby Douglas
People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on. Bill Cosby
You can't do anything that's not political in this time and age. Saul Williams
Ain't nobody making music to not be heard and the easiest way to be heard is to be on the radio, but you should never compromise who you are, your values or your morals. Talib Kweli
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds! Bob Marley
I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity. Michelle Obama
Everyone has hiccups in their families. Gabby Douglas
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby
Who I am on stage is very, very different to who I am in real life. Beyonce Knowles
When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.
LL Cool J
America is just downright mean. Michelle Obama