To encourage excellence is to go beyond the encouraged mediocrity of our society Audre Lorde More Quotes by Audre Lorde More Quotes From Audre Lorde Women are powerful and dangerous. Audre Lorde dangerous powerful Sometimes we drug ourselves with dreams of new ideasl The head will save us. The brain alone will set us free. But there are no new ideas waiting in the wings to save us as women, as human. There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions from within ourselves--along with the renewed courage to try them out. Audre Lorde dream wings ideas Guilt is only another way of avoiding informed action. Audre Lorde guilt action way So it is better to speak, remembering we were never meant to survive. Audre Lorde speak remember We cannot settle for the pretenses of connection, or for the parodies of self-love. Audre Lorde settling connections self I stand here as a black lesbian feminist, having been invited to comment within the only panel at this conference where the input of black feminists and lesbians is represented. What this says about the vision of this conference is sad, in a country where racism, sexism and homophobia are inseparable. . . . Audre Lorde heterosexuality-is racism country And this is a grave responsibility, projected from within each of us, not to settle for the convenient, the shoddy, the conventionally expected, nor the merely safe. Audre Lorde settling responsibility safe stoicism and silence does not serve us nor our communities, only the forces of things as they are. Audre Lorde community silence doe I am on the cusp of change and the curve is shifting fast. Audre Lorde shifting curves change If you do not learn to hate you will never be lonely enough to love easily nor will you always be brave, although it does not grow any easier. Do not pretend to convenient beliefs, even when they are righteous; you will never be able to defend your city while shouting. Audre Lorde hate lonely cities I agreed to take part in a New York University Institute for Humanities conference a year ago. . . . Audre Lorde heterosexuality-is new-york years Anger is an appropriate reaction to racist attitudes, as is fury when the actions arising from those attitudes do not change. Audre Lorde anger racism attitude But, on the other hand, I get bored with racism too and recognize that there are still many things to be said about a Black person and a White person loving each other in a racist society. Audre Lorde racism white hands I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you. Audre Lorde battle long believe I soon discovered that if you keep your mouth shut, people are apt to believe you know everything, and they begin to feel freer and freer to tell you anything, anxious to show that they know something, too. Audre Lorde mouths believe people My fear of anger taught me nothing. Audre Lorde taught anger If our history has taught us anything, it is that action for change directed against the external conditions of our oppressions is not enough. Audre Lorde taught-us oppression action Some words live in my throat Audre Lorde tongue lips sun I would like to do another piece of fiction dealing with a number of issues: Lesbian parenting, the 1960's, and interracial relationships in the Lesbian and Gay community. Audre Lorde issues gay numbers If you come as softly As wind within the trees You may hear what I hear See what sorrow sees. If you come as lightly As threading dew I will take you gladly Nor ask more of you. You may sit beside me Silent as a breath Only those who stay dead Shall remember death. And if you come I will be silent Nor speak harsh words to you. I will not ask you why, now. Or how, or what you do. We shall sit here, softly Beneath two different years And the rich earth between us Shall drink our tears. Audre Lorde wind two years
