Sometimes we drug ourselves with dreams of new ideasl The head will save us. The brain alone will set us free. But there are no new ideas waiting in the wings to save us as women, as human. There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions from within ourselves--along with the renewed courage to try them out.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that true creativity comes from within and is built upon past ideas rather than waiting for new inspirations to appear.
Audre Lorde's quote suggests that as individuals, particularly women, we often seek new ideas to drive us forward, but in reality, our power lies in rediscovering and reinterpreting old concepts. It underscores the importance of self-innovation and courage to experiment with these ideas, highlighting that our liberation comes not from external sources but from the courage to utilize our inner knowledge and experiences.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a women's empowerment seminar to inspire creativity.
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.
When one door closes, another one opens, but sometimes we wait too long looking at the closed door, and never realize that another door has been opened.
Be willing to stop punishing yourself for your mistakes. Love yourself for your willingness to learn and grow.
Meditation is enjoying oneself, just sitting silently doing nothing: happy, joyous without any reason, because all reasons come from outside. You meet a beautiful woman and you are happy, or you meet a beautiful man and you are happy - but the meditator is simply happy. His happiness has no reason from the outside world; his happiness wells up within himself.
Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.
Usability is like love. You have to care, you have to listen, and you have to be willing to change. You’ll make mistakes along the way, but that’s where growth and forgiveness come in.
We live and learn, or, perhaps more importantly we learn and live.
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