Pearl Cleage Quotes

I think one of the things that writers and creative artists generally have to deal with is the censors that we have in our heads, the voices that we have that say you better not tell that and don't tell that, and people will think you're not a good girl, and your grandmother's going to be mad at you and all of those things.

I'm not one of those playwrights who says, 'Show up, hit your marks, and don't talk to me!' I always want to hear from the other artists involved, whether it's the director, the lighting tech, or the actors.

I've always loved the '40s romantic comedies and the idea of those mistaken identities and lovers' misunderstandings.

Feminism is to sexism what black nationalism is to racism; the most rational response to the problem.

Buying flowers is not just a way to bring home beauty. It's an expression of confidence that better days are coming. It's a defiant finger in the face of those naysayers who would have you believe your fortunes will never improve.

Denzel Washington is a big Hollywood movie star now. But he started out as an actor in the Negro Ensemble company.

I need some time to myself by myself! There must be time for thought and music and peace and solitude! Also: No one can keep a creative house and work every day from nine to five. Can't be done, folks. Ain't no way.

Sometimes you meet yourself on the road before you have a chance to learn the appropriate greeting. Faced with your own possibilities, the hard part is knowing a speech is not required. All you have to say is yes.

Because sometimes love just needs a witness ... Somebody to testify. Sometimes love just needed somebody to step forward and say, Here I am, Spirit. Send me.

I know once you repent, Jesus himself isn't big on punishment, but according to all the Old Testament stories, I ever heard, his was not above it

Defiance means you got somebody with power over you.

Sisterhood is a funny thing. It's easy to recognize, but hard to define.

It is my belief that conscious African American students ought to be in a constant state of rage and in a constant search for ways to channel that rage into freedom struggle.

I think that theater is a unique way to communicate with people as they gather together with other people they may not even know. It creates a sense of shared community for the time of the performance that hopefully carries over into other aspects of the audience's life because they have shared this experience together.

You can't know the meaning of the lesson until class is over!

Liberation is a constant struggle. And this is a new year.

I think the black community is no different from any other community. We need to take responsibility for how we live together. We need to be personally responsible for keeping our streets clean, our schools safe, and our houses peaceful.

Most of us, I think, are conscious of history swirling around outside the door, but when we're in the house, we're usually not dealing with history. We're not thinking about history.

...freedom can be a full-time job if you let it.

Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music. Solitude, quality solitude, is an assertion of self-worth, because only in the stillness can we hear the truth of our own unique voices.

I've never been to Paris. I don't like to fly!

You know the Buddhists believe that sometimes when everything is in turmoil, it's because something wonderful is ready to be born and that thing is distracting you so it can have some privacy during the birthing process.

Because Library School will take up two whole years of my life, I have decided to keep a journal of events/feelings/reactions to it as long as I can stick it out. Judging from today, that might not be too long, but I will start with a reaction to yesterday so it will not be forgotten.

When you're young, there's a whole lot of stuff you say you'll never do. Once you get a little older, the list tends to get shorter.

No woman can love a weak man hard enough to make him strong.

I was raised in a very activist household so that I grew up surrounded by people who were activists.

Putting words on paper regularly is part of the necessary discipline of writing. A journal is a great way to do that.

If you don't annoy your big sister for no good reason from time to time, she thinks you don't love her anymore.

You can't save a person who doesn't want to be saved. It was like Mr. Eddie always told the new gardeners: Everybody's got to kill their own snakes.

Domestic violence is the front line of the war against women.

I really love writing comedy. Writing romantic comedy is even nicer because you get to write about how insane we all act when we're falling in love.

As African-Americans, we often spend our time and energy blaming other people for the problems we see around us.

Both men knew the only thing more valuable than a favor well done was a secret well kept. This had the potential to be both.

I worked in Maynard Jackson's first campaign, and I remember the excitement we felt when he won.

Sometimes you have to show them what they want to see in order to get them to show you who they really are.

A lot of brothers don't understand. When it comes to making love, reciprocity is everything.

What looks like crazy on an ordinary day, looks a lot like love when you catch it in the moonlight.

When I got to the end of this play, I realized I was trying to make Angel do something that had not been justified by the characters and by their story ... I kept trying to force it, but that doesn't work. So I had to come to terms with what it meant for me to create a character who doesn't triumph.

It is so important to be conscious even when it makes you realize how much negative stuff you have enjoyed all your life until you realized it was all anti you.

If I had to name one book that has had the most lasting influence on my work, I would pick 'The Big Sea' by Langston Hughes.

I didn't have a dream of being a press secretary, I had a dream of being a playwright; I had a dream of being a novelist and a poet.

Vera Stark is a fabulous force of nature.

It is a dangerous time to be a black woman in America. It's a time when we are not safe in the streets or at home or at school or at work and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. Nobody. Not us. Not our mommas. Not the police. Not the people we elected to look out for our interests. Nobody. We're just out here. (p.53)