Nationwide — Self-love is like physical therapy for the soul. Listen to these quotes from black women about self-love—they prove that struggle and hardship don’t impede self-love but are rather the means to understanding and accepting yourself.
1. “I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.” – Zora Neale Hurston
2. “Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any one deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.” – Zora Neale Hurston
3. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced to them.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
4. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
5. “Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker
6. “Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.” – Marva Collins
7. “Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” – Toni Morrison
8. “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” – Dorothy Height
9. “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.” – Audre Lorde
10. “Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change.” – Iyanla Vanzant
11. “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” – Audre Lorde
12. “Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat.” – Audre Lorde
13. “Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go one and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” – Mae Jemison
14. “Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine in yourself, so that you can hear it in others.” – Marian Wright Edelman
15. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lena Horne