Nikki Giovanni Quotes

Sacred cows make very poor gladiators.

- Nikki Giovanni

The catchword I use with my classes is: The authority of the writer always overcomes the skepticism of the reader.

- Nikki Giovanni

Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste.

- Nikki Giovanni

There're two people in the world that are not likeable: a master and a slave.

- Nikki Giovanni

Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.

- Nikki Giovanni

Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying.

- Nikki Giovanni

Follow your image as far as you can no matter how useless you think it is. Push yourself.

- Nikki Giovanni

A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it.

- Nikki Giovanni

Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.

- Nikki Giovanni

I had a really nice childhood; I had great parents. I earned my allowance by washing dishes, and in the summer I earned my allowance by working in daddy's garden.

- Nikki Giovanni

I am totally fascinated by people and our history as I understand and continue to explore it. People have so much to give and so far to go and yet we have given and gone a great distance. It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.

- Nikki Giovanni

We believe 'Peter Rabbit' because Beatrix Potter believes it. You have to.

- Nikki Giovanni

I am proud of the hip hop generation. They are good business people and, actually, good people.

- Nikki Giovanni

I think one of the nicest things that we created as a generation was just the fact that we could say, 'Hey, I don't like white people.'

- Nikki Giovanni

Hip-hop is a cultural expression - it's embracing.

- Nikki Giovanni

Favorite poems are like favorite children. We definitely have them but we never tell as the others would have their feelings hurt.

- Nikki Giovanni

Now, everything I do, I do because I want to. And I believe the best is yet to come.

- Nikki Giovanni

If I could come back as anything - I'd be a bird, first, but definitely the command key is my second choice.

- Nikki Giovanni

When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to grow again so that you can skin them again.

- Nikki Giovanni

The poet Melvin B. Tolson once said, 'A civilization is judged only in its decline.' That made sense to me. I would imagine the same is true for poets and tennis players.

- Nikki Giovanni

There are things you stand up for because it's right.

- Nikki Giovanni

If now isn't a good time for the truth I don't see when we'll get to it.

- Nikki Giovanni

We eat up artists like there's going to be a famine at the end.

- Nikki Giovanni

If everybody became a poet the world would be much better. We would all read to each other.

- Nikki Giovanni

A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.

- Nikki Giovanni

If you don't understand yourself you don't understand anybody else.

- Nikki Giovanni

We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained.

- Nikki Giovanni

Some say we are responsible for those we love. Others know we are responsible for those who love us.

- Nikki Giovanni

You must invent your own games and teach us old ones how to play.

- Nikki Giovanni

I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. 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

White people really deal more with God and black people with Jesus.

- Nikki Giovanni

We love because it's the only true adventure.

- Nikki Giovanni

I'm just totally fascinated by people.

- Nikki Giovanni

If you know what you're talking about, or if you feel that you do, the reader will believe you.

- Nikki Giovanni

I spend a lot of time learning about bird watching.

- Nikki Giovanni

I appreciate and enjoy my age.

- Nikki Giovanni

For most of my life, I've thought of myself as pretty cool.

- Nikki Giovanni