Alice Walker

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons and not because they were put on earth by humans."

"Be nobody's darling; be an outcast. Take the side of the exiles and the thieves."

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."

"Hard times require furious dancing."

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise."

"You cannot live by bread alone; you must also have roses."

"The fact that they are very white and very soft in places, and that being white and soft seems to be the leading characteristic of this world's success, is something I must learn to understand."

"Love is not a natural state for human beings; it must be learned and practiced."

"Writing saved me from the sin and doom of believing that I had a chance."

"Every person I have ever known who has lived to be over 100 years old has had a strong sense of purpose that all along the way integrated spirit, work, and family."

"That's what I want to do, to make you feel better."

"The gift of loneliness is sometimes a radical vision of society or one's people that has not previously been offered."

"We are the ones we've been waiting for."

"I have learned not to worry about love, but to honor its coming with all my heart."

"I am more committed to the ongoing struggle than I am attached to any outcome."

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"Change is like death. You can't stop it."

"The fact that you are free means you are free in whatever way you have discovered."

"I have no intention of living in a world without joy and without beauty."

"To know what happened is to know history."

"I learned not to waste myself on people who don't appreciate me."

"If you want to improve the world, start by improving yourself."

"Forgiveness is an act of self-love and self-respect."

"The mind always expands in the direction of our most persistent thoughts."

"We are not given a good life by virtue of our rank or our connections; we must create it."

"There is no way to be as free as a black woman in America unless you become psychically, culturally, and politically free."

"Time is the only currency that matters because nothing can be bought with money that is as valuable as time."

"Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I feel wholesome and complete."

"To acknowledge our ancestors means we are aware of the price they paid for our existence."

"I believe that we are all naturally creative and that everyone is capable of being an artist of some sort."