Toni Morrison

Nelson Mandela is, for me, the single statesman in the world. The single statesman, in that literal sense, who is not solving all his problems with guns. It's truly unbelievable. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#his #literal #literal sense #mandela #me

Make a difference about something other than yourselves. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#difference #make #make a difference #other #something

It's been mentioned or suggested that Paradise will not be well studied, because it's about this unimportant intellectual topic, which is religion. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#because #been #intellectual #mentioned #paradise

I'm not entangled in shaping my work according to other people's views of how I should have done it. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#done #entangled #how #i #other

I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#first #i #novel #read #wanted

I always looked upon the acts of racist exclusion, or insult, as pitiable, from the other person. I never absorbed that. I always thought that there was something deficient about such people. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#acts #always #deficient #exclusion #i

For a long time I was convinced that the conflict between Jewish people and black people in this country was a media event. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#black #conflict #convinced #country #event

You need a whole community to raise a child. I have raised two children, alone. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#child #children #community #i #need

In becoming an American, from Europe, what one has in common with that other immigrant is contempt for me-it's nothing else but color. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#becoming #color #common #contempt #else

Black boys became criminalized. I was in constant dread for their lives, because they were targets everywhere. They still are. ↗

— Toni Morrison

#because #black #constant #dread #everywhere