We are three days into Black History Month. It is the 28 days the U.S. decides to recognize and pay homage to the endless list of African American achievements that shaped this world. It is surely not enough time to display the many contributions of my people, so I wanted to use this time wisely. What came to mind was this: what would have happened if these Black leaders, activists, influencers, inventors, world-changers, and legends gave up? The world as we know it would be much different. Guess what? There is someone depending on you to not give up on your goals as well.
Since this blog was created to encourage, educate, and inspire those with busy lives to be the best version of themselves, I decided to share some of the most impactful messages that have moved me. The following 30 quotes were spoken from the hearts of overcomers who conquered and surpassed all expectations. Their words have not only pushed me closer to my dreams, but also serve as a reminder that I can achieve anything, despite my brown skin. Though there are a ton more that could have been included, let the following quotes saturate your mind and spark that dwindling fire within.
1. “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes
2. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
3. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” — Lena Horne
4. “Have a vision. Be demanding.” – Colin Powell
5. “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
6. “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” — Wilma Rudolph
7. “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
8. “Hold on to your dreams of a better life and stay committed to striving to realize it.” –Earl G. Graves, Sr.
9. “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” – Dr. Mae Jemison
10. “I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” — Madam C.J. Walker
11. “You can only become accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou
12. “If you have a dream AND you have a job. That’s amazing! You can learn how to navigate both. Your employer, or as I like to call it your ‘investor’, gives you the money to invest in your dream, and pay your bills while you chase your dreams.” — Lisa Nichols
13. “Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.” — Cicely Tyson
14. “Accept and acknowledge your own brilliance. Stop waiting for others to tell you how great you are! Believe it for yourself and about yourself.” — Iyanla Vanzant
15. “Discipline is not a dirty word. There is far more freedom and opportunity for creativity and success in enjoying discipline. Years ago someone I very much respect told me the reason they were successful is that they embraced doing what other people resent or are reluctant to do.” — Janice Bryant Howroyd
16. “I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.” – Langston Hughes
17. “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
18. “We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens
19. “Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us” — Angela Bassett
20. “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” —James Baldwin
21. “I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”— Michael Jordan
22. “Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied.”— George Washington Carver
23. “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” — Shirley Chisholm
24. “Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.”— Denzel Washington
25. “The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.”— Mary McLeod Bethune
26. “There’s always something to suggest that you’ll never be who you wanted to be. Your choice is to take it or keep on moving.” — Phylicia Rashad
27. “Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything…whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”— Tina Turner
28. “Go to work! Go to work in the morn of a new creation… until you have… reached the height of self-progress, and from that pinnacle bestow upon the world a civilization of your own.” – Marcus Garvey
29. “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
30. “Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.” – Susan L. Taylor
Which quote was your favorite? Comment below!