Tomi Adeyemi Quotes

Powerful Tomi Adeyemi for Daily Growth

About Tomi Adeyemi

Tomi Adeyemi is an American-Nigerian novelist, public speaker, and a highly influential figure in contemporary literature. Born on March 19, 1993, in Washington D.C., Adeyemi spent her childhood between the United States and Nigeria, absorbing the rich cultural tapestry of both countries. Her love for storytelling was fostered at an early age, with inspiration drawn from African folklore, Greek mythology, and the works of J.K. Rowling and Nnedi Okorafor. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in English and Creative Writing, Adeyemi decided to blend these diverse influences into her own unique narrative voice. In 2015, she released her debut novel, "Children of Blood and Bone," which catapulted her to international fame. Set in the mythical African kingdom of Orïsha, this young adult fantasy follows a heroine named Zélie as she embarks on a quest to restore magic to her people and overthrow an oppressive monarchy. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was nominated for numerous awards, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction. Adeyemi's work is not only celebrated for its gripping storytelling but also for its exploration of themes such as identity, power, and resistance, drawing parallels between African history and contemporary social issues. In 2018, she released the sequel to "Children of Blood and Bone," titled "Children of Virtue and Vengeance." Adeyemi continues to advocate for diversity in literature and has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. Her impact extends beyond her writing, as she is also a sought-after speaker, encouraging young writers around the world to embrace their unique voices and stories.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"To be African is to be part of an ancient, vibrant culture that has thrived for millennia."

This quote by Tomi Adeyemi emphasizes the richness, resilience, and continuity of African culture, dating back thousands of years. Being African, in this context, suggests being connected to a dynamic civilization that has not only survived but flourished across time. The sentiment underscores African heritage as a source of pride and strength, inviting us to appreciate the depth, vibrancy, and longevity of the African culture and its people.


"Love is a fire that never dies, no matter how far you travel, it will always find its way back to you."

This quote suggests that true love is an everlasting and indomitable force, much like a fire. No matter the distance traveled or time elapsed, the passion and emotional bond of love will inevitably make its return to those who experience it deeply. It emphasizes the profound, enduring nature of authentic love, implying that once ignited, it has the power to survive and rekindle even in the face of separation or adversity.


"Every story is someone's history."

This quote emphasizes that every narrative we encounter, whether in literature, film, or personal accounts, represents a piece of someone's past experiences and identity. It underscores the idea that stories are not just entertaining or educational, but they carry profound significance as they reflect the history and culture of individuals and communities. By understanding this, we can foster empathy, respect for diversity, and a deeper appreciation for the complexities of human experience.


"The world doesn't make room for the broken. We have to break it ourselves."

This quote by Tomi Adeyemi emphasizes the idea that change and progress often require action, particularly from those who may feel marginalized or disadvantaged. It suggests that society, in its current state, may not accommodate those who are struggling or 'broken', so these individuals must take matters into their own hands to create change and carve out a space for themselves. In essence, it's a call to action for resilience, empowerment, and the pursuit of personal growth and transformation.


"Never let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big, because those who achieved greatness always started out by dreaming even bigger than the world allowed."

This quote emphasizes the importance of having ambitious dreams, even when they may seem unattainable to others. It suggests that great achievements are often born from aspirations that reach beyond conventional expectations. By pursuing dreams larger than what the world initially allows, one can break boundaries, challenge norms, and ultimately achieve greatness in their own unique way. The message encourages individuality, perseverance, and a fearless spirit in the face of doubt or skepticism.


Children of color need a mirror to see themselves in. And then people who don't have that experience, they need a window. They need a really personalized way to see what people who are different from them are going through.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Mirror, Color, Through, Personalized

We've been told the same story for so long. We've seen literally 1,000 'Lord of the Rings' movies.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Been, Lord, Literally, Rings

I am a firm believer that the craziest stories that have been told and are being told are in anime. They have character arcs that go over, like, 400 episodes, like a 400-episode character arc.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Over, Been, Firm Believer, Arc

The power of fantasy is that you can make people understand the deeper realities of our world in a way that they wouldn't normally be able to because of all the things in our world that closes them off.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Fantasy, Them, Our World, Normally

We like epic stories, we like adventure, we like epic fights, so if you can mix a great story that can also really teach someone about a different experience, you have the potential to really help people.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Like, Stories, Fights, Mix

If you want to be traditionally published, then you most likely want to get a literary agent. To sign with an agent, you need to send them a query letter, but agents can get up to 20,000 query letters a year. With numbers like that, it helps to get in front of agents with every opportunity you have.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Year, Agent, Literary, Letters

I spent 12 years of my life writing stories without black people. That's insane to me. It's insane that I could have believed in magical portals and dragons and all that stuff, but to believe a black person could be experiencing those things was unimaginable.

- Tomi Adeyemi

My Life, Believe, Years, Unimaginable

I'm a huge 'Harry Potter' fan, but I still think there is a lot of anime that is crazier than 'Harry Potter,' and that was a seven-book masterpiece.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Think, Still, Harry, Potter

At every writers' conference, you have the opportunity to hear from best-selling authors, top literary agents, and excellent editors who will demystify the publishing industry and give you great advice, no matter where you are in your writing career or what you're currently struggling with.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Advice, Career, Conference, Agents

In my perfect world, we'd have one black girl fantasy book every month. We need them, and we need fantasy stories about black boys as well.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Perfect, Fantasy, Stories, Perfect World

What's demanded from us black creatives is both a blessing and a curse, because it pushes you to be your absolute best. You cannot be anything less.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Best, Black, Your, Blessing

I grew up in a predominantly white community - Hinsdale, Illinois - and given that, I feel blessed because I could still count my experiences with blatant racism on two hands. I thought racism was the substitute teacher picking on you because she assumes that you're a delinquent, and she doesn't know you have the highest score in the class.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Thought, Hands, Assumes, Delinquent

Every first draft sucks, so when you have your favorite novel, and you're like, 'Wow, this is a masterpiece,' and then you write your first draft, and you're like, 'This is really bad,' and then you're like 'I can't do this because this is nowhere close.' When, in reality, the book you loved so much started out just as crappy.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Book, Bad, Crappy, Wow

I had a lot of different reasons for writing the book, but at its core was the desire to write for black teenage girls growing up reading books they were absent from. That was my experience as a child. 'Children of Blood and Bone' is a chance to address that. To say you are seen.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Book, Reading Books, Reasons, Teenage Girls

I want to give something to the world that I feel I missed out on as a child, and I want to help people of all races, ethnicities, and orientations understand that no matter what differences we may think we have, everyone is a human, and everyone deserves to be respected and valued.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Differences, Feel, Deserves, Respected

I didn't say I have to be a writer, but I did say that I needed to publish at least one book.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Needed, Publish, One Book, At Least One

If I went to any other college, I probably would have been pre-med. But I felt like I had freedom to do what I wanted to do at Harvard.

- Tomi Adeyemi

College, Other, Been, Harvard

I deeply believed that I wasn't worthy - that I couldn't be in the stories even I was creating. I don't want anyone else to feel like that.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Want, Like, Stories, Believed

I want a little black girl to pick up my book one day and see herself as the star. I want her to know that she's beautiful, and she matters, and she can have a crazy, magical adventure even if an ignorant part of the world tells her she can never be Hermione Granger.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Book, One Day, Part, Herself

My freshman year of college, 'The Hunger Games' movie adaptation came out, and I was really excited about it. This was maybe 2011. I loved it, but there was a lot of hateful backlash against the black characters in the film.

- Tomi Adeyemi

College, Movie, Backlash, Hateful

For readers of color, and especially black readers, black girls, I just want them to feel seen. And not just seen - I want them to feel epic and know that they are epic.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Color, Black, Want, Readers

You can make something out of every unfinished story and every rejection if you work at it.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Work, Make, Every, Unfinished

I've been writing stories all my life. My very first story had two little black girls riding horses. They were both me, too, so that's how into me I was.

- Tomi Adeyemi

My Life, Been, Very, All My Life

I will always be my hardest critic. Nobody else will ever be able to come at something I do harder than I come at myself.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Myself, Will, Always, Harder

The YA author community is generally pretty friendly, and they care.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Pretty, Friendly, Author, Ya

It's not about creating something that eight billion people would like. It's about creating something and being able to reach the maybe, like, one million people that would like it a lot.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Reach, Like, Maybe, Million People

There's so much talk of representation in politics and entertainment - it's everywhere - but I didn't realize representation was important until really my senior year of high school.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Politics, Year, Senior Year, Representation

As writers, our craft makes us sit alone at a desk and hammer away at our novel. Doing that day in and day out makes it really easy to forget that there's a whole community of writers out there, and they love contributing to other writers' success!

- Tomi Adeyemi

Love, Doing, Other, Desk

'Children of Blood and Bone' is basically 'Black Panther' with magic.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Children, Magic, Basically, Panther

Part of the reason everyone is freaking out over 'Black Panther' is because we've never seen it. We have two thousand years of stories, and we've never seen it.

- Tomi Adeyemi

Reason, Over, Thousand Years, Panther

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