Guilt and defensiveness are bricks in a wall against which we all flounder; they serve none of our futures. Audre Lorde More Quotes by Audre Lorde More Quotes From Audre Lorde What woman here is so enamored of her own oppression that she cannot see her heel print upon another woman's face? Audre Lorde print oppression faces Your silence will not protect you. Audre Lorde healing inspiring commitment We must wake up knowing we have work to do and go to bed knowing we've done it. Audre Lorde wake-up bed knowing I was going to die, if not sooner, then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. Audre Lorde protected protect-you silence Anger, used, does not destroy. Hatred does. Audre Lorde black-history hatred doe Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society's definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference - those of us who are poor, who are lesbians, who are black, who are older - know that survival is not an academic skill...For the master's tools will not dismantle the master's house. They will never allow us to bring about genuine change. Audre Lorde circles differences skills ...and that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength. Audre Lorde visibility vulnerable inspirational Revolution is not a one time event. Audre Lorde one-time revolution events African tradition deals with life as an experience to be lived. In many respects, it is much like the Eastern philosophies in that we see ourselves as a part of a life force; we are joined, for instance, to the air, to the earth. We are part of the whole-life process. We live in accordance with, in a kind of correspondence with the rest of the world as a whole. And therefore living becomes an experience, rather than a problem, no matter how bad or how painful it may be. Audre Lorde oneness air philosophy Institutionalized rejection of difference is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people. Audre Lorde rejection differences people One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness. Audre Lorde awareness pay Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it. Audre Lorde deals pain important What I most regretted were my silences. Of what had I ever been afraid? Audre Lorde silence I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. That the speaking profits me, beyond any other effect....what I most regretted were my silences. Of what had I ever been afraid? ...Death on the other hand, is the final silence...my silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you. Audre Lorde silence believe hands I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't. Audre Lorde women fear writing I have a duty to speak the truth as I see it and share not just my triumphs, not just the things that felt good, but the pain, the intense, often unmitigated pain. It is important to share how I know survival is survival and not just a walk throught the rain. Audre Lorde survival pain rain And when the sun rises we are afraid it might not remain when the sun sets we are afraid it might not rise in the morning when our stomachs are full we are afraid of indigestion when our stomachs are empty we are afraid we may never eat again when we are loved we are afraid love will vanish when we are alone we are afraid love will never return and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid So it is better to speak remembering we were never meant to survive Audre Lorde hope fear morning The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot. Audre Lorde learning-process riot process I am not only a casualty, I am also a warrior. Audre Lorde casualties warrior Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now. Audre Lorde done life reality
