I think art is a healing force, and if we give in to the joy that can be found in art, then we are able to sustain ourselves in spite of ourselves.
Interpretation
Art serves as a source of healing and joy, helping us to endure challenges in life.
In this quote, Ntozake Shange expresses the idea that art has the power to heal and uplift individuals, allowing them to find joy even amidst difficulties. By embracing the joy that art can provide, we can better navigate the struggles we face and maintain our well-being despite personal challenges.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of art therapy, one might use this quote to emphasize how art can provide healing.
Where there is a woman there is magic. If there is a moon falling from her mouth, she is a woman who knows her magic, who can share or not share her powers. A woman with a moon falling from her mouth, roses between her legs and tiaras of Spanish moss, this woman is a consort of the spirits.
I write for young girls of color, for girls who don’t even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they arrive. I can only change how they live, not how they think.
i usedta live in the world really be in the world free & sweet talkin good mornin & thank-you & nice day uh huh i cant now i cant be nice to nobody nice is such a rip-off regular beauty & a smile in the street is just a set-up
one thing I don’t need is any more apologies i got sorry greetin me at my front door you can keep yrs i don’t know what to do wit em they don’t open doors or bring the sun back they don’t make me happy or get a mornin paper didn’t nobody stop usin my tears to wash cars cuz a sorry.
The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.
It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.
I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew.
Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue
Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either.
Years and years ago, I did a game based on 'Hitchhiker's Guide' with a company called Infocom, which was a great company. They were doing witty, intelligent, literate games based on text.
I think an artist, in my definition of that word, would not be someone who takes sides with the emperor against his powerless subjects. That's different from prescribing a way in which a writer should write.
I love drag, and I love people who gravitate toward it. Because the people who do drag are people who dance to the beat of a different drummer.
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