40-Thought Provoking Quotes by Famous African Americans

In celebration of Black History Month, we are sharing 40-Thought Provoking Quotes by Famous African Americans. From civil rights activist  like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, to Maya Angelou.

40-Thought Provoking Quotes by Famous African Americans

1.  “I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all.” James Baldwin
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3. “You don’t have to teach people how to be human. You just have to teach them how to stop being inhuman.” Eldridge Cleaver
4. “ Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Harriet Tubman
5. “Impossibilities are merely things of which we have not learned, or which we do not wish to happen.” Charles W. Chesnutt
6. “People pay for what they do and for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it…by the lives they lead.” James Baldwin
7. “I always bear in mind that my mission is to leave behind me the kind of impression that will make it easier for those who follow.” Marian Anderson
8. “A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.” Frederick Douglass
9. “I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize…get used to me…my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own…” Muhammad Ali
10. “None of us is responsible for the complexion of his skin. This fact…offers no clue to the character or quality of the person…” Marian Anderson
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12. “I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed of…having been ashamed.” Ralph Ellison
13. “A wise person speaks carefully and with truth, for every word that passes between one’s teeth is meant for something.” Molefi Kete Asante
14. “It appears that my worst fears have been realized we have made progress in everything yet nothing has changed.” Derrick Bell
15. “Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing…When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.” Angela Davis
16. “Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change – it can not only move us, it makes us move.” Ossie Davis
17. “It is not light we need, but fire…not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” Frederick Douglass
18. “Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.” Frederick Douglass
19. “Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.” Nikki Giovanni
20. “A man must be willing to die for justice. Death is an escapable reality and men die daily, but good deeds live forever.” Rev. Jesse Jackson
21. “There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
22. “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work and persistence.” Colin Powell
23. “If women want any rights more than they’s got, why don’t they just take them, and not be talking about it.” Sojourner Truth
24.  “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
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26. “I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that’s how I operate my life.” Oprah Winfrey
27. “I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don’t believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn’t want to practice it with me.” Malcolm X
28. “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave/I am the dream and the hope of the slave/I rise/I rise/I rise.” Maya Angelou
29. “…poverty has no justification in our age…the time has come for us to civilize ourselves by…abolition of poverty.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
30. “We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
31. “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. Knowing what must be done does away with fear.” Rosa Parks
32. “At 15, life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.” Maya Angelou
33. “One isn’t necessarily born with courage; one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any virtue consistently.” Maya Angelou
34. “Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.” Maya Angelou
35. ” …strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when blunted by formal education.” Maya Angelou
36. “There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.” Maya Angelo
37. “Never exalt people because they’re your family, never exalt people because they’re your color…Exalt them because they’re worthy.” Louis Farrakhan
38. “If I were to say, ‘God, why me?’ about the bad things, then I should have said, ‘God, why me?’ about the good things.” Arthur Ashe
39. “The last struggle for our rights, the battle for our civilization, is entirely within ourselves.” William Wells Brown
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If you have more thought provoking quotes by famous African Americans please feel free to share. If you’re looking for more Black History Month information to share with your kids, check out Time For Kids Black History Month Printables