I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act, write, speak, be, I'll be sending messages on a Ouija board, cryptic complaints from the other side
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear to take action in life.
Audre Lorde's quote reflects the idea that waiting for fear to subside before taking action may lead to missed opportunities and regrets. Instead of letting fear dictate our choices, we should act despite it, as delaying action can turn our dreams and desires into unfulfilled messages from the past.
In practice
In a motivational speech to inspire others to pursue their dreams despite their fears.
The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.
There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.
There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.
I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.
I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.
There's always someone asking you to underline one piece of yourself - whether it's Black, woman, mother, dyke, teacher, etc. - because that's the piece that they need to key in to. They want to dismiss everything else.
Here in America, we don't give in to our fears. We don't build up walls to keep people out.
The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.
Let us be brave in the face of adversity.
If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated suffering.
I'd like to say I'm ready to kick ass and show the guys how it's done. But I'm not here to prove anything about being a woman. I'm here to drive a race car and try to win a race.
Luckily, I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself.
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