African Quotes (183 quotes)

“Most people write me off when they see me.
They do not know my story.
They say I am just an African.
They judge me before they get to know me.
What they do not know is
The pride I have in the blood that runs through my veins;
The pride I have in my rich culture and the history of my people;
The pride I have in my strong family ties and the deep connection to my community;
The pride I have in the African music, African art, and African dance;
The pride I have in my name and the meaning behind it.
Just as my name has meaning, I too will live my life with meaning.
So you think I am nothing?
Don’t worry about what I am now,
For what I will be, I am gradually becoming.
I will raise my head high wherever I go
Because of my African pride,
And nobody will take that away from me.”
― idowu koyenikan, Wealth for all Africans: How Every African Can Live the Life of Their Dreams

tags: africa, africa-herbalist, africa-house, africa-leaders, africa-people, africa-quotes, africa-s-predicament, africa-s-wealth, africa-will-shake, african, african-american, african-american-authors, african-americans, african-authors, african-believes, african-citizens, african-continent, african-cultural, african-culture, african-cup-of-nations, african-descent, african-development, african-development-bank, african-dictators, african-fiction, african-freethinker, african-great-healer, african-great-lakes, african-healer, african-juju, african-languages, african-leaders, african-literature, african-my-motherland, african-national-congress, african-people, african-proverb, african-quotes, african-safari, african-saying, african-socialism, african-story-telling, african-traditional-healer, african-union, african-voodoo, african-woman, african-women, african-writer, africana, africana-studies, africans, black-america, black-americans, black-book-author, black-girl, black-girls-rock, black-history, black-history-month, black-in-america, black-intellectuals, black-is-beautiful, black-literary-classics, black-literature, black-lives-matter, black-queen, black-woman, black-women, blackness, china-achebe, desmond-tutu, kofi-annan, kwame-nkrumah, nelson-mandela

350 likes

Like

“You can no longer see or identify yourself solely as a member of a tribe, but as a citizen of a nation of one people working toward a common purpose.”
― idowu koyenikan, Wealth for all Africans: How Every African Can Live the Life of Their Dreams

tags: africa, africa-house, africa-leaders, africa-people, africa-quotes, africa-s-predicament, africa-s-wealth, africa-will-shake, african, african-authors, african-believes, african-citizens, african-continent, african-cultural, african-culture, african-cup-of-nations, african-descent, african-development, african-development-bank, african-dictators, african-fiction, african-freethinker, african-great-healer, african-great-lakes, african-healer, african-juju, african-languages, african-leaders, african-literature, african-my-motherland, african-national-congress, african-people, african-proverb, african-quotes, african-safari, african-saying, african-socialism, african-story-telling, african-traditional-healer, african-union, african-woman, african-women, african-writer, africana, africana-studies, africans, china-achebe, desmond-tutu, kofi-annan, kwame-nkrumah, nelson-mandela, tribal, tribalism, tribe, tribes

250 likes

Like

“If everyone helps to hold up the sky, then one person does not become tired.”
― Askhari Johnson Hodari, Lifelines: The Black Book of Proverbs

tags: african, cooperation, inspirational, proverbs, unity, wisdom

137 likes

Like

“Some people avoid thinking deeply in public, only because they are afraid of coming across as suicidal.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, afraid, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, avoid, axiom, axioms, deep, depress, depressed, depressing, depression, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, fear, fearful, funny, gnome, gnomes, humor, humorous, humour, impression, in-public, insightful, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, philosopher, philosophy, private, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, public, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, seem, south-africa, south-african, stoic, stoicism, stoics, suicidal, suicide, think, thinker, thinkers, thinking, thought-provoking, thoughtful

66 likes

Like

“A relationship is likely to last way longer, if each partner convinces or has convinced themselves that they do not deserve their partner, even if that is not true.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, arrogance, arrogant, axiom, axioms, boyfriend, boyfriends, convince, convinced, convincing, date, dating, deep, deserve, deserving, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, funny, girlfriend, girlfriends, gnome, gnomes, humble, humbled, humility, humor, humorous, humour, husband, husbands, insightful, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, partner, partners, persuade, persuaded, persuading, philosopher, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, relationship, satire, satirical, saying, sayings, south-africa, south-african, thought-provoking, thoughtful, true, wife, wives

65 likes

Like

“Some of us were brought into this troubled world primarily or only to increase our fathers’ chances of not being left by our mothers, or vice versa.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, The Use and Misuse of Children

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, bachelor, bachelors, birth, born, boyfriend, boyfriends, breakup, breakups, childfree, childless, deep, dictum, dictums, divorce, divorces, epigram, epigrams, ex, exes, father, fatherhood, fathers, funny, girlfriend, girlfriends, gnome, gnomes, humor, humorous, humour, husband, husbands, insightful, made-me-think, make-you-think, marriage, married, maxim, maxims, mom, moms, mother, mothers, philosopher, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, relationship, relationships, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, selfish, selfishness, single, south-africa, south-african, thought-provoking, thoughtful, trouble, troubled, wife, wives, world

49 likes

Like

“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the innumerable instances where one would have experienced pain.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, antinatalism, antinatalist, antinatalists, anxiety, anxious, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, casket, caskets, coffin, coffins, dead, death, deep, depress, depressing, dictum, dictums, dying, enjoy, enjoyment, epigram, epigrams, eulogies, eulogy, funeral, funerals, funny, gnome, gnomes, humor, humorous, humour, hurt, hurting, immortal, immortality, insightful, joy, lament, laments, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, mortal, mortality, pain, philosopher, pleasure, pleasures, premature, premature-death, premature-deaths, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, rob, robbed, robber, robbers, robbing, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, south-africa, south-african, stress, suffer, suffering, thought-provoking, thoughtful, worried, worry, worrying

44 likes

Like

“The most upsetting thing about Society’s attitude towards disabled people is that many millions of disabled people became disabled while trying to please Society, the very same bitch that secretly regards them as subhuman.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, The Use and Misuse of Children

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, attitude, axiom, axioms, bitch, bitches, childfree, childless, deep, dictum, dictums, disability, disabled, epigram, epigrams, funny, gnome, gnomes, humor, humorous, humour, insightful, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, philosopher, please, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, selfish-selfishness, society, south-africa, south-african, subhuman, thought-provoking, thoughtful, upset, upsetting

40 likes

Like

“Some people will hate you for not loving them.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, boyfriend, boyfriends, chase, court, courtship, crush, crushes, crushing, date, dating, deep, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, funny, girlfriend, girlfriends, gnome, gnomes, hate, hated, hating, humor, humorous, humour, husband, husbands, insightful, love, lover, lovers, loving, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, philosopher, profound, proposal, propose, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, relationship, relationships, requited-hate, requited-love, satire, satirical, saying, sayings, south-africa, south-african, spouse, spouses, thought-provoking, thoughtful, unrequited, unrequited-hate, unrequited-hatred, unrequited-love, wife, wives

31 likes

Like

“Life is a process during which one initially gets less and less dependent, independent, and then more and more dependent.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, adolescent, adolescents, adult, adulthood, adults, africa, african, ancient, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, child, children, dead, death, deep, dependence, dependent, develop, developing, development, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, existence, four-stages-of-life, funny, gnome, gnomes, grandparent, grandparents, grow, growing, growth, humor, humorous, humour, immortal, immortality, independence, independent, infant, infants, insightful, life, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, mortal, mortality, newborn, newborns, old, old-age, old-age-home, old-age-homes, phase, phases, philosopher, prepubescent, process, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, retire, retired, retiree, retirees, retirement, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, senile, senility, south-africa, south-african, stage, stages, stages-of-life, teenage, teenager, teenagers, thought-provoking, thoughtful, young, youth, youths

29 likes

Like

“We are way less likely to love someone just because they love us than we are to hate someone just because they hate us.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, avenge, axiom, axioms, deep, dictum, dictums, enemies, enemy, epigram, epigrams, fair, fairness, foe, foes, friend, friends, funny, gnome, gnomes, hate, hated, hater, haters, hating, humor, humorous, humour, injustice, insightful, justice, likelihood, likely, love, loving, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, philosopher, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, requited-hate, requited-love, revenge, rival, rivals, satire, satirical, saying, sayings, south-africa, south-african, thought-provoking, thoughtful, tit-for-tat, unfair, unfairness, unrequited, unrequited-hate, unrequited-hatred, unrequited-love

27 likes

Like

“Most sane human beings who are over the age of six usually act or react not as per what they genuinely feel or really think but in accordance with the expectations of those around them.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, The Use and Misuse of Children

tags: act, adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, believe, conform, conformity, deep, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, expect, expectation, expectations, feel, feeling, feelings, funny, gnome, gnomes, human, human-being, human-beings, humanity, humans, humor, humorous, humour, insane, insanity, insightful, made-me-think, make-you-think, mankind, maxim, maxims, people, person, philosopher, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, sane, sanity, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, south-africa, south-african, think, thought-provoking, thoughtful

25 likes

Like

“I did point out that I have no prophetic gifts. I write books because I tried to do something more useful and failed. Since I've been trained to write, I do that as a defense against total despair. And seeing people like you, who are actively engaged in trying to salvage pieces of our wrecked lives, gives me hope that after all we are not alone.”
― Ayi Kwei Armah

tags: african, writing

21 likes

Like

“America is a young dumb country and it needs all kinds of help. America is a dumb puppy with big teeth that bite and hurt. And we take care of America. We hold America to our bosom; we feed America, we make love to America. There wouldn't be an America if it wasn't for black people. So you have some dedicated black Americans who will die a million deaths to save America. And this is home for us. We don't know really about Africa. We talk it in a romantic sense, but America is it. And so, America is always going to be okay as long as black people don't totally lose their mind, cause we'll pick up the pieces and turn it into a new dance.”
― Abiodun Oyewole

tags: africa, african, african-american, america, american, black, patriotism, pride

17 likes

Like

“In reality most human beings are not, to most human beings, more important than money.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, The Use and Misuse of Children

tags: adage, adages, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, consequential, deep, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, funny, gnome, gnomes, human, human-being, human-beings, humans, humor, humorous, humour, importance, important, inconsequential, insightful, insignificant, made-me-think, make-you-think, materialism, materialistic, maxim, maxims, money, philosopher, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, significant, south-africa, south-african, thought-provoking, thoughtful, unimportance, unimportant

11 likes

Like

“If we were not impressed by job titles, suits, and jargon, we would demand that financial advisors show us their personal bank statements before they tell us what we could or should do with our own money.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

tags: adage, adages, advice, advices, advisor, advisors, africa, african, aphorism, aphorisms, axiom, axioms, bank, bank-statement, bank-statements, banks, bombast, bombastic, clothes, clothes-make-the-man, clothes-maketh-the-man, clothing, deep, dictum, dictums, epigram, epigrams, financial-advice, financial-advices, financial-advisor, financial-advisors, financial-freedom, funny, gnome, gnomes, humor, humorous, humour, impress, impressed, impression, income, insightful, invest, investment, investments, jargon, job, job-title, job-titles, jobs, language, made-me-think, make-you-think, maxim, maxims, money, passive, passive-income, philosopher, policies, policy, profound, proverb, proverbs, provoke-thought, quotation, quotations, quote, quote-of-the-day, quotes, rich, riches, salaries, salary, satire, satirical, satirist, satirists, saying, sayings, share, shareholder, shareholders, shareholding, shares, south-africa, south-african, suit, suits, tailor, tailor-made, tailored-suit, tailored-suits, tailors, thought-provoking, thoughtful, tuxedo, wage, wages, wealth, wealthy

10 likes

Like

“it ain't as hard as picking cotton”
― wynton marsalis

tags: african, american, bebop, family, jazz, life, trumpeter

9 likes

Like

“Africans must change their mind and actions.
The keys to building your continent depends on your will-power, persistent effort and action towards self liberation.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

tags: africa, african, african-american-literature, african-authors, african-leaders, africans, continent, continents, persistent, persistent-action, persistent-actions, persistent-attitude, persistent-effort, will-power

9 likes

Like

“Put your hand over your heart and say aloud, “I am not alone.” Your ancestors walked before you and we, your sisters on this cosmic quest, walk with you.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, african-culture, goddess-quotes, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement

6 likes

Like

“It would be better not to know so many things than to know so many things that are not so.”
― Felix Okoye

tags: african, author, felix-okoye, life-experience, nigeria, society

4 likes

Like

“I don't want people to think I mind being mistaken for African American. I don't. There are, however, many African immigrants in America who, to climb the social ladder, resist being categorized, by white people, with African Americans. Some even go so far as to claim superiority. This is not surprising. In America, the racial hierarchy has white at the top and black on the bottom. *We're not that kind of black,* I have heard a member of my own family--an uncle-- argue when a white person leveled a racism insult against him. Given this, is is also not surprising that there exists some animosity between the African immigrant and African-American communities.”
― Nadia Owusu, Aftershocks

tags: african, african-american, black, hierarchy, identity, white-supremacy

4 likes

Like

“Divine manifesting is collaboration with God/dess energy to mold our lives for the highest and best good of the collective. We are all manifesting our lives, albeit unconsciously for most people.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, goddesses, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement

4 likes

Like

“Goddess alchemy is learning to see through this dimension into the next and welcome in what you are seeking. Healers, priestesses, and brujas of African descent have used magic for access to healing, protection, and joy since time began.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, goddesses, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement

4 likes

Like

“The most powerful ancestral or generational curse we face is our unhealed trauma.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, personal-development, personal-growth, self-awareness, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement, self-love

3 likes

Like

“Some of us have been hiding, shrinking, betraying ourselves, faking the funk, and playing small for so long that we believe that we are small. That shrunken self is not you. That shrunken self is a persona you created to survive.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement, self-love

2 likes

Like

“When Africans were kidnapped, trafficked en masse and brutally dragged in chains to work camps in the “New World,” called plantations, we hid our deities and rituals in stories of saints, angels, and legendary characters. Our deities included a powerful cadre of orishas, abosom, lwas, álúsí, spirits, and god/desses. From South Africa to Sudan, Brazil to Cuba to even Indigenous Australia, we chant their names: Yemaya, Mami Wata, Atete, Iset, and Ala.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement, self-love

2 likes

Like

“You are divine. You are rich. You have good juju as you have inherited the greatest inheritance there is. You have the power to shift worlds and bend them to your will. Accept your ancestral inheritance now. You are heiress to a rich heritage of divine prosperity.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, goddesses, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement

2 likes

Like

“Una combinación de inversiones en sintonía con las necesidades y condiciones locales pueden permitir que las economías africanas escapen de la trampa de la pobreza”
― Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time

tags: african, humanity, investment

1 likes

Like

“Let my path be blessed. Let the path of all those on this journey be blessed. Let the path of all those not on this journey be blessed.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-culture, goddesses, personal-development, personal-growth, self-awareness, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement

1 likes

Like

“All of your power is in the present moment. Grounding is the process that helps keep us in the present.”
― Abiola Abrams, African Goddess Initiation: Sacred Rituals for Self-Love, Prosperity, and Joy

tags: african, african-american, african-american-authors, goddess-quotes, personal-development, personal-growth, self-esteem, self-help, self-improvement, self-love

1 likes

Like

African Quotes

Browse By Tag