Explore Boundless Imagination: 20+ Toni Morrison Quotes On Life
Last Updated on 5 months by Iva Ursano
Embarking on a mesmerizing voyage into the profound and thought-provoking world of Toni Morrison’s words is like stepping into an enchanting realm of wisdom and revelation. With her extraordinary knack for capturing the essence of the human experience in its rawest and most authentic form, Toni Morrison quotes possess an almost mystical quality that reaches deep within your soul.
As you delve into the tapestry of her prose, you’ll uncover a celebration of your resilience, an unwavering call for justice, and a gentle reminder of the transformative power of love and compassion. In the realms of today’s blog, we extend a heartfelt invitation, inviting you to embark alongside us on this captivating odyssey through some of Toni Morrison’s most awe-inspiring quotes. If you enjoy reading quotes from famous personalities, take a look at these Rumi and Alan Watts quotes
20+ Toni Morrison Quotes You’ll Love
To be given dominion over another is a hard thing; to wrest dominion over another is a wrong thing; to give dominion of yourself to another is a wicked thing.
– Toni Morrison
Being under someone else’s control can be challenging, and it’s unfair to exert control over others. However, the most troublesome situation arises when you willingly surrender your own autonomy to someone else.
When I woke up I reminded myself that freedom is never free. You have to fight for it. Work for it and make sure you are able to handle it.
– Toni Morrison
As you start your day, it’s important to keep in mind that freedom doesn’t come easily. It requires dedication, hard work, and the readiness to navigate its responsibilities.
Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.
– Toni Morrison
Embracing your freedom means taking responsibility for your choices, defining your own path, and embracing the authentic essence of who you are.
Correct what you can; learn from what you can’t.
– Toni Morrison
Remember, the journey towards self-improvement is not about perfection, but about continuously growing and evolving through the lessons learned along the way.
But to find out the truth about how dreams die, one should never take the word of the dreamer.
– Toni Morrison
If you want to truly grasp how dreams wither, don’t just trust the words of the dreamer. Seek wisdom from those who have witnessed the journey and can offer a deeper understanding.
Death is a sure thing but life is just as certain. Problem is you can’t know in advance.
– Toni Morrison
While death remains an inescapable certainty, life holds an equal certainty that fills it. The challenge lies in embracing the unknown, for it is the unpredictability that gives life its excitement and potential.
Look to yourself. You free. Nothing and nobody is obliged to save you but you… Somewhere inside you is that free person I’m talking about. Locate her and let her do some good in the world.
– Toni Morrison
Pause for a moment and reflect within yourself. Always remember that the power to set yourself free lies within your own hands. Within the depths of your being, there exists an untamed spirit yearning to make a positive difference in the world.
Being good to somebody is just like being mean to somebody. Risky. You don’t get nothing for it.
– Toni Morrison
When you choose to be kind to someone, it can be just as risky as being unkind. It’s important to remember that there’s no guarantee of receiving anything in return for your actions.
The presence of evil was something to be first recognized, then dealt with, survived, outwitted, triumphed over.
– Toni Morrison
When you encounter the presence of evil, confront it directly, and discover strategies to overcome, outwit, and ultimately emerge victorious against it.
How exquisitely human was the wish for permanent happiness, and how thin human imagination became trying to achieve it.
– Toni Morrison
Longing for everlasting happiness is a natural inclination. However, our human imagination often struggles to fully comprehend its true nature. The pursuit of eternal contentment can test the boundaries of our creativity to the utmost extent.
No matter what all your teeth and wet fingers anticipated, there was no accounting for the way that simple joy could shake you.
– Toni Morrison
Nothing can truly prepare you for the profound and transformative impact that a simple moment of joy can have. Consequently, it has the power to shake you to your very core in ways you could never have anticipated.
I’ll tell you a real one. You got anything left to you to love, anything at all, do it.
– Toni Morrison
If there’s anything or anyone left in your life that brings love and joy, don’t let go. Embrace it fully, nurture it, and hold it close to your heart, for love is a precious gift to be treasured.
When good people take you in and treat you good, you ought to try to be good back.
– Toni Morrison
When you are embraced by the warmth and kindness of good-hearted people, it is essential to reflect that goodness back to them. Take the initiative to reciprocate their kindness, demonstrating your gratitude for their generosity.
She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.
– Toni Morrison
When confronted with death, she embodied a remarkable strength and heroism that seemed to appear solely in those challenging moments. The presence of death bestowed upon her a crystal-clear perspective and an indomitable bravery.
Which was what love was: unmotivated respect.
– Toni Morrison
Love, in its purest form, emanates from a place of sincere admiration. It’s a state that is free from any concealed intentions or self-interest, and it blossoms with honesty and authenticity.
The sun and the moon shared the horizon in a distant friendship, each unfazed by the other.
– Toni Morrison
In a distant yet captivating kinship, the sun and the moon peacefully coexisted on the horizon. Despite spending eternity next to each other, they are unaffected by one another’s presence.
Don’t ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn’t fall in love, I rose in it.
– Toni Morrison
Never doubt that my love for you was a deliberate choice, not a matter of chance. It wasn’t a fall, but a rise—a deliberate ascent into the tender and passionate embrace of love.
Nowadays silence is looked on as odd and most of my race has forgotten the beauty of meaning much by saying little. Now tongues work all day by themselves with no help from the mind.
— Toni Morrison
Silence and the charm of expressing profound ideas with brevity has been forgotten by many. Nowadays, tongues tend to chatter incessantly, lacking the support of thoughtful contemplation.
It is sheer good fortune to miss somebody long before they leave you.
– Toni Morrison
When you experience a deep yearning for someone long before their departure, consider it a fortunate stroke of luck. Preemptive longing offers a precious chance to genuinely cherish their presence and recognize their significance in your life.
Language, when it finally comes, has the vigor of a felon pardoned after twenty-one years on hold. Sudden, raw, stripped to its underwear.
– Toni Morrison
When language finally surfaces, it unleashes like a long-awaited pardon granted to a prisoner after twenty-one years of anticipation. It arrives abruptly, unpolished and vulnerable, in its purest and unadorned state.
Let us be reminded that before there is a final solution, there must be a first solution, a second one, even a third. The move toward a final solution is not a jump. It takes one step, then another, then another.
– Toni Morrison
Remember, before reaching a final solution, there must be initial attempts, and even more after that. Progressing towards a final resolution is not an instantaneous leap but rather a series of steps, one after another, forming a path forward.
I don’t think many people appreciate silence or realize that it is as close to music as you can get.
– Toni Morrison
Sadly, the true value of silence often goes unappreciated, along with its deep connection to music. As a result, silence possesses a distinct quality that reverberates in harmony with the very essence of music.
What Are Your Favorite Toni Morrison Quotes?
As you navigate through the labyrinth of her quotes, you’ll find yourself unraveling the complexities of life, embracing the power of resilience, and embracing the call for justice and equality. Toni Morrison’s words, like a compass, guide you towards self-discovery, urging you to confront the shadows within and emerge stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. They remind you that your story matters, that your experiences hold significance, and that your voice has the capacity to shape the world around you. So, as you bid farewell to this exploration of Toni Morrison’s profound quotes, may you carry with you the echoes of her wisdom, allowing them to illuminate your path, ignite your passions, and inspire you to create a world filled with empathy, understanding, and love.
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