To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality. Bell Hooks More Quotes by Bell Hooks More Quotes From Bell Hooks In an ideal world we would all learn in childhood to love ourselves. We would grow, being secure in our worth and value, spreading love wherever we went, letting our light shine. If we did not learn self-love in our youth, there is still hope. The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite, waiting for the heart to awaken and call us back to the first memory of being the life force inside a dark place waiting to be born - waiting to see the light. Bell Hooks darkheartmemories If I were really asked to define myself, I wouldn’t start with race; I wouldn’t start with blackness; I wouldn’t start with gender; I wouldn’t start with feminism. I would start with stripping down to what fundamentally informs my life, which is that I’m a seeker on the path. I think of feminism, and I think of anti-racist struggles as part of it. But where I stand spiritually is, steadfastly, on a path about love. Bell Hooks racestrugglethinking The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom. Bell Hooks momentsmoving Feminist politics aims to end domination, to free us to be who we are - to live lives where we love justice, where we can live in peace. Feminism is for everybody. Bell Hooks live-lifejusticeinspiring The true teacher is within us. A good teacher is someone who can help you to go back and touch the true teacher within, because you already have the insight within you. Bell Hooks insighthelpingteacher The intellectual tradition of the West is very individualistic. It's not community-based. The intellectual is often thought of as a person who is alone and cut off from the world. So I have had to practice being willing to leave the space of my study to be in community, to work in community, and to be changed by community. Bell Hooks cuttingspacepractice Patriarchy, like any system of domination (for example, racism), relies on socializing everyone to believe that in all human relations there is an inferior and a superior party, one person is strong, the other weak, and that it is therefore natural for the powerful to rule over the powerless. To those who support patriarchal thinking, maintaining power and control is acceptable by whatever means. Bell Hooks partypowerfulstrong Intersectionality allow us to focus on what is most important at a given point in time. Bell Hooks givenfocusimportant You are not going to destroy this imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy by creating your own version of it. Bell Hooks capitalistcreatingwhite Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape. Bell Hooks meaningfullovelife Sexism has never rendered women powerless. It has either suppressed their strength or exploited it. Bell Hooks sexismpowerless Because we have learned to believe negativity is more realistic, it appears more real than any positive voice. Bell Hooks voicerealbelieve For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed? Bell Hooks forgivenesscompassionbelieve What we cannot imagine cannot come into being. Bell Hooks imagine A generous heart is always open, always ready to receive our going and coming. In the midst of such love we need never fear abandonment. This is the most precious gift true love offers - the experience of knowing we always belong. Bell Hooks knowingheartneeds The wounded child inside many females is a girl who was taught from early childhood on that she must become something other than herself, deny her true feelings, in order to attract and please others. Bell Hooks girlorderchildren One of the things that we must do as teachers is twirl around and around, and find out what works with the situation that we're in. Our models might not work. And that twirling, changing, is part of the empowerment. Bell Hooks empowermentmightteacher Loving friendships provide us with a space to experience the joy of community in a relationship where we learn to process all our issues, to cope with differences and conflict while staying connected. Bell Hooks issuesdifferencesrelationship I want there to be a place in the world where people can engage in one another’s differences in a way that is redemptive, full of hope and possibility. Not this “In order to love you, I must make you something else”. That’s what domination is all about, that in order to be close to you, I must possess you, remake and recast you. Bell Hooks differencesloveorder There is light in darkness, you just have to find it. Bell Hooks lightdarkness
