Champions Don't Get Nervous

Venus told me the other day that champions don't get nervous in tight situations. That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn't get nervous and just do the best I can. ~Serena Williams

Perfection

We all suffer from the preoccupation that there exists... in the loved one, perfection. ~Sidney Poitier

Why I Succeed

I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. ~Michael Jordan

To Name Something

To name something is to wait for it in the place you think it will pass. ~Imamu Amiri Baraka

Over and Over Again

Have you ever been hurt and the place tries to heal a bit, and you just pull the scar off of it over and over again. ~Rosa Parks

Get Rid of It

Sometimes you've got to let everything go—purge yourself . . . If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out. ~Tina Turner

Principle of Love

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Harmonious World

Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing. ~Quincy Jones

Their Own Reasons

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. ~Alice Walker

I went to Zimbabwe

I went to Zimbabwe...I know how white people feel in America now, relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren't coming after me. ~Richard Pryor

Walking In The Rain

Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain. ~Billie Holiday

When You Start

When you start at the bottom of American life, when you grow up poor and black and female in the Deep South and you're able to work your way up from poverty and gain a voice in the political process, you should be able to say what it felt like to do it. ~Donna Brazile

Play What's Not There

Don't play what's there, play what's not there. ~Miles Davis

Feet On Ground

I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes. ~Oprah Winfrey

Where is Home?

Where is home? Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart's tears can dry at their own pace. ~Vernon Baker

True to Yourself

Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit. ~Rita Dove

Through the Roof

With hair, heels, and attitude, honey, I am through the roof. ~RuPaul

Adversity

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

She Did It

I used to want the words "She tried" on my tombstone. Now I want "She did it". ~Katherine Dunham

Success is to be Measured...

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. ~Booker T. Washington