Famous African American Quotes

We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. – Maya Angelou

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. – Martin Luther King Jr.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. – Nelson Mandela

The time is always right to do what is right. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. – Booker T. Washington

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. – Barack Obama

I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life. – Toni Morrison

The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression. – W.E.B. Du Bois

We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation’s greatness. – Thurgood Marshall

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Frederick Douglass

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. – James Baldwin

I was built this way for a reason, so I’m going to use it. – Simone Biles

Famous African American Quotes part 2

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. – Rosa Parks

Your silence will not protect you. – Audre Lorde

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Lena Horne

I am where I am because of the bridges that I crossed. Sojourner Truth was a bridge. Harriet Tubman was a bridge. Ida B. Wells was a bridge. Madame C.J. Walker was a bridge. Fannie Lou Hamer was a bridge. – Oprah Winfrey

Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts—good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. – Oprah Winfrey

Somebody has to take the blame. I am accepting the blame. – Michael Jordan

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. – Maya Angelou

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. – Louisa May Alcott (inspired by Harriet Tubman)

You really can change the world if you care enough. – Marian Wright Edelman

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people. – Rosa Parks

There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish. – Michelle Obama

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. – Maya Angelou

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius (adapted by Leontyne Price)

It always seems impossible until it’s done. – Nelson Mandela

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker

I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up. – Rosa Parks

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. – Malcolm X

I don’t want to be a symbol of anything. I’m only myself. – Aaliyah

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Nelson Mandela

I hope that I can inspire women to believe in their own dreams and pursue them. – Misty Copeland

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker (adopted by Mae Jemison)

We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right. – Aretha Franklin

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer (inspired by Serena Williams)

It’s important to celebrate our heroes and she-roes! – Maya Angelou

The only way to deal with this life is to accept it. – Toni Morrison

A person can’t know where they’re going unless they know where they’ve been. – LaVar Ball

Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get, you’ve got to make yourself. – Alice Walker

I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color. – Malcolm X

You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world. – Oprah Winfrey

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be. – Maya Angelou

What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing, knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose. – Audre Lorde

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. – Maya Angelou