Ama Ata Aidoo Quotes

It is a matter of some interest, that the only other volume A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt reminds one of is Ake, by Wole Soyinka. What is it about these Yorubas?
AMA ATA AIDOO

Country Interest Matter Mouth People Person Salt Some Sweeter Volume
I’ve written poems about gifts.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Gift Poem Written
There are powerful forces undermining progress in Africa. But one must never underestimate the power of the people to bring about change.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Chance Force never Powerful Progress Underestimate
O yes, everyone gets lonely some time or other.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Everyone Lonely Other Some Time
No matter what anybody says, we can’t have it all. Not if you are a woman. Not yet.
AMA ATA AIDOO

All Anyone Matter No Say Woman
Politicians are easy to attack, but frankly, we are all guilty of not meeting the needs of Africa’s young people properly.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Attack Country Easy Guilt Meet People Politician Property Young
Sometimes a word or an argument will trigger a poem.
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Argument Poem Sometimes Trigger Word
Ghana is like a lion without a head
AMA ATA AIDOO

Ghanam Like Head Lion Without
At the age of 15, a teacher had asked me what I wanted to do for a career, and without knowing why or even how I replied that I wanted to be a poet.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Age Ask Career Fifteen Poet Reply Teacher Want
Things are working out… towards their dazzling conclusions.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Conclusion Cut Dazzling Toward Work
Humans, not places, make memories.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Human Memorize Place
Once in a while I catch myself wondering whether I would have found the courage to write if I had not started to write when I was too young to know what was good for me.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Catch Courage Found Myself Once Start Too While Wonder Write Young
Love is fine for singing about and love songs are good to listen to, sometimes even to dance to. But when we need food for our stomachs and clothes for our backs, love is nothing. Ah my lady, the last man any woman should think of marrying is the man she loves.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Back Cloth Dance Food Good Love Man Marry Need Sing Sometimes Stomach
Once an interesting idea or theme occurs to me then I would want to write a poem about it. The rest, frankly, is not difficult.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Difficult Frankly Idea Interset Occur Once Poem Rest Theme Want
The very old certainly do not go back on lunch remains but they do bite back at old conversational topics.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Back Certainty Conversation Lunch Old Remain Topic Very
After all, if we look closer into ourselves, shall we not admit that the warmth from other people comes so sweet to us when it comes, because, we always carry with us the knowledge of the cold loneliness of death?
AMA ATA AIDOO

Admit Closer Come Death Knowledge Loneliness Ourselves People Warmth
the best way to sharpen a knife is not to whet one side of it only. And neither can you solve a riddle by considering only one end of it.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Best Consider Knife Neither One Riddle Sharpen Side Solve Way
People are worms, and even the God who created them is immensely bored with their antics.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Antics Create Even God Immensely People Worm
Toyin Falola has given us what is truly rare in modern African writing: a seriously funny, racy, irreverent package of memories, and full of the most wonderful pieces of poetry and ordinary information.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Country Full Funny Given Irrevelant Memory Modern Package People Race Seriously Truly
It is understandable why the African artist is utilitarian.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Artist Country Understandable
For us Africans, literature must serve a purpose: to expose, embarrass, and fight corruption and authoritarianism.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Authoritarianism Computation Country Embarrass Expise Fight Literature Purpose Serve
I always wanted to write poetry, even when I was very young.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Always Poetry Very Want When Write Young
They had always told me that I wrote like a man.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Always Amn Told Wrote
Life is inspirational; sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Come Inspirational Life Must Place Sometimes Unlike
Time by itself means nothing, no matter how fast it moves, unless we give it something to carry for us; something we value. Because it is such a precious vehicle, is time.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Carry Mean Mov Nothing Precious Something Time Unless Value Vehicle
Its a sad moment, really, when parents first become a bit frightened of their children.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Become Children Frightened Moment Parent Really Sad
Soyinka’s Death at Dawn, Auden’s Musée des Beaux Arts, Stevie Smith’s Not Waving but Drowning and Wislawa Szymborska’s Some People come to mind immediately. But there are plenty, plenty more that I enjoy.
AMA ATA AIDOO

Art Auden Beaux Country Death Enjoy Immediately Mind People Person Plenty Some

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