What you ain’t never understood is that I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you. There ain’t nothing as precious to me…There ain’t nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else–
LORRAINE HANSBERRY
LORRAINE HANSBERRY
Lorraine Hansberry on holding
Lorraine Hansberry40 quotes“What you ain’t never understood is that I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you. There ain’t nothing as precious to me…There ain’t nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else–”
More from Lorraine Hansberry
Seems like God don’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry When a man knows that the abstraction ten exists – nothing on earth can stop him from looking for the fact of eleven.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry Once upon a time freedom used to be life-now it’s money. I guess the world really do change.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry That’s what being eccentric means–being natural.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry This is one of the glories of man, the inventiveness of the human mind and the human spirit: whenever life doesn’t seem to give an answer, we create one.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry [T]here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture — in front of us — our own little mirage that we think is the future.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry I look at you and I see the final triumph of stupidity in the world!
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry One for whom bread- food- is not enough.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry Though it be a thrilling and marvellous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so – doubly dynamic – to be young, gifted and black.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry Ball points belong to their age. They make everyone write alike.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry Beneatha: You didn’t tell us what Alaiyo means… for all I know, you might be calling me Little Idiot or something… … Asagai: It means… it means One for Whom Bread–Food–Is Not Enough.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry I happen to believe that most people – and this is where I differ from many of my contemporaries, or at least as they express themselves – I think that virtually every human being is dramatically interesting. Not only is he dramatically interesting, he is a creature of stature whoever he is.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry There is always something left to love. And if you haven’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry I believe that one of the most sound ideas in dramatic writing is that in order to create the universal, you must pay very great attention to the specific. Universality, I think, emerges from truthful identity of what is.
Lorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry
Original quotes
From our community writers
Do not measure yourself by success, failure, or a degree. Measure your life by the dreams you have.
Natalie MooneyNatalie Mooney Everything ceases to fade Leaving my soul all the pain.
Sayed AbbasSayed Abbas To attain success everyone speaks about consistency, don’t give up & patience but no one talk about the start.
Rohit DeoraRohit Deora Take a moment to look back. Change the process slightly from your discovery. Start again.
Hei-Ran ParkHei-Ran Park The silence was broken with the music of your pain, but with every note i could see a part of you healing.
Sophie AliaSophie Alia It has been the craziest year filled with so many adventures, amazing friends, accomplishments & memories.
Little PaulsonLittle Paulson They say what is lost can always be found in the last place you look but I wouldn’t be so sure that you’ll ever see this version of me again.
Aimee C. HoveyAimee C. Hovey I want to see our demons complement each other for the rest of our lives.
Jenny WinbladhJenny Winbladh
Meet the writers
More on holding
When you discover yourself to be nothing but Freedom, you stop setting up conditions and requirements that need to be satisfied in order for you to be happy.
AdyashantiAdyashanti What will carry us into living freedom is not the holding of attention so much as the holding of appreciation.
AdyashantiAdyashanti As long as you perceive that anyone is holding you back, you have not taken full responsibility for your own liberation. Liberation means that you stand free of making demands on others and life to make you happy.
AdyashantiAdyashanti In the little hall leading to it was a rack holding various Socialist or radical newspapers, tracts, and pamphlets in very small print and on very bad paper.
Agnes SmedleyAgnes Smedley Corporate governance is concerned with holding the balance between economic and social goals and between individual and communal goals.
Adrian CadburyAdrian Cadbury China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces.
Adam YauchAdam Yauch The situation with Tibet has to change.
Adam YauchAdam Yauch If I hold back, I’m no good. I’m no good. I’d rather be good sometimes, than holding back all the time.
Janis JoplinJanis Joplin