Of all the definitions of love that abound in our universe, a special favorite of mine is... “the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.” Bell Hooks More Quotes by Bell Hooks More Quotes From Bell Hooks The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the practice of freedom. Bell Hooks freedom education moving Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power - not because they don't see it, but because they see it and they don't want it to exist. Bell Hooks badass life people When we choose to love, we choose to move against fear, against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect, to find ourselves in the other. Bell Hooks i-love-you love-is moving The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. Bell Hooks love way moving I entered the classroom with the conviction that it was crucial for me and every other student to be an active participant, not a passive consumer...education as the practice of freedom.... education that connects the will to know with the will to become. Learning is a place where paradise can be created. Bell Hooks paradise students practice Shaming is one of the deepest tools of imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy because shame produces trauma and trauma often produces paralysis. Bell Hooks shame tools white What we do is more important than what we say or what we say we believe. Bell Hooks important believe [O]ne of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone. Bell Hooks resistance community way Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community. Bell Hooks differences meaningful moving To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality. Bell Hooks roots inspiring reality My hope emerges from those places of struggle where I witness individuals positively transforming their lives and the world around them. Educating is a vocation rooted in hopefulness. As teachers we believe that learning is possible, that nothing can keep an open mind from seeking after knowledge and finding a way to know. Bell Hooks struggle teacher believe The rage of the oppressed is never the same as the rage of the privileged. Bell Hooks privileged oppressed rage The practice of love is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination. Bell Hooks powerful practice love-is All of us in the academy and in the culture as a whole are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutions-and society-so that the way we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of freedom. Bell Hooks passion educational justice As long as women are using class or race power to dominate other women, feminist sisterhood cannot be fully realized. Bell Hooks sisterhood race class The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem. Bell Hooks self-esteem successful men True resistance begins with people confronting pain... and wanting to do something to change it. Bell Hooks resistance pain people To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination. Bell Hooks community awareness way If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice, have recognition for difference without attaching difference to privilege. Bell Hooks beloved-community differences justice I think our culture doesn't recognize passion, because real passion has the power to disrupt boundaries. Bell Hooks passion real thinking
