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Inspiration September 28, 2017
"Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever."
As a queer woman of color, Audre Lorde used her platform to address and expose the injustices of racism, sexism and homophobia. Lorde’s poems were unapologetic and passionate. Even when she received hate from people who opposed her identities, she continued to voice her opinions.
Lorde rose to fame quickly. Her first poem was published in Seventeen magazine while she was in high school. She then released her first poetry book “New York Head Shop and Museum” in 1974. Her most famous book, “The Black Unicorn,” came out in 1978.
Lorde was always determined to share her experiences. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, she refused to wear prosthesis because she wanted to share her strength with other women,
Writer Allison Kimmich described the poet’s writing by writing “Throughout all of Audre Lorde’s writing, both nonfiction and fiction, a single theme surfaces repeatedly. The black lesbian feminist poet activist reminds her readers that they ignore differences among people at their peril… Instead, Lorde suggests, differences in race or class must serve as a ‘reason for celebration and growth.”
Although Lorde, unfortunately, passed away from breast cancer, her voice and ideas still live on.
So, we compiled a list of famous Audre Lorde quotes to help you find your voice.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
“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.”
“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”
“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”
“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
“In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction.”
“When we create out of our experiences, as feminists of color, women of color, we have to develop those structures that will present and circulate our culture.”
“The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.”
“It’s a struggle but that’s why we exist, so that another generation of Lesbians of color will not have to invent themselves, or their history, all over again.”
“Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now.”
“Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever.”
“The failure of academic feminists to recognize difference as a crucial strength is a failure to reach beyond the first patriarchal lesson. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.”
“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”
“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.”
“Your silence will not protect you.”
Audre Lorde refused to stay silent, and so her poetry became a powerful mantra for all women. She inspires us to always use our platforms and voice for good.
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