black
grey
blue
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brown
white

I’ve spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.

Toni Morrison

For me the history of the place of black people in this country is so varied, complex and beautiful. And impactful.
TONI MORRISON

Beautiful Black Lives Matter Complex Country History Impact Place
It is sheer good fortune to miss somebody long before they leave you.
TONI MORRISON

Break Up Broken Heart Fortune Leaving Missing Sheer
Navigating a white male world was not threatening. It wasn’t even interesting. I was more interesting than they were.
TONI MORRISON

Interesting Male Navigate Threat White
Sometimes what I write on the page frightens me, so I feel free when I write, but I don’t feel safe.
TONI MORRISON

Feeling Safe Writing
Black boys became criminalized. I was in constant dread for their lives, because they were targets everywhere. They still are.
TONI MORRISON

Black Lives Matter Crime Live Racism Traget
Anything dead coming back to life hurts.
TONI MORRISON

Come Back Dead Deep Hurt Life
The enemy is not men. The enemy is the concept of patriarchy, the concept of patriarchy as the way to run the world or do things.
TONI MORRISON

Concept Enemy Men World
She learned the intricacy of loneliness: the horror of color, the roar of soundlessness and the menace of familiar objects lying still.
TONI MORRISON

Colour Horror Learning Loneliness She
A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves – a special kind of double.
TONI MORRISON

Kindness Ourselves Sister Special
A dream is just a nightmare with lipstick.
TONI MORRISON

Dreams Fashion Nightmare
Racism will disappear when it’s no longer profitable, and no longer psychologically useful. And when that happens, it’ll be gone. But at the moment, people make a lot of money off of it, pro and con.
TONI MORRISON

Disappear Happen Money People Profit Psychology Racism
Love is never any better than the lover.
TONI MORRISON

Love Lover
There’s a difference between writing for a living and writing for life. If you write for a living, you make enormous compromises. If you write for life, you’ll work hard; you’ll do what’s honest, not what pays.
TONI MORRISON

Difference Hard Work Honesty Life Live Pay Writing
Black people have always been used as a buffer in this country between powers to prevent class war.
TONI MORRISON

Black Lives Matter Country People Power Prevent War
Black people’s music is in a class by itself and always has been.
TONI MORRISON

Black Lives Matter Music People
I don’t think one parent can raise a child. I don’t think two parents can raise a child. You really need the whole village.
TONI MORRISON

Children Need Parents Raise Thinking Village

I’ve spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.

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I’ve spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Toni Morrison Quotes