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.
Ntozake ShangeRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Apologies are often inadequate for healing emotional pain and do not change past experiences.
In this quote, Ntozake Shange expresses her disillusionment with apologies. She conveys that mere words of regret cannot fix the emotional wounds she has experienced; they do not change the past or bring genuine happiness. Instead, she indicates that the actions leading to her sadness remain, and apologies alone cannot rectify those actions or bring about healing.
Themes
ApologiesEmotional PainRelationshipsHealingRegret
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a discussion about the importance of meaningful actions in relationships rather than just words.
More from Ntozake Shange
All quotes →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.
Ntozake ShangeRead
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.
Ntozake ShangeRead
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
Ntozake ShangeRead
The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.
Ntozake ShangeRead
It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.
Ntozake ShangeRead
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