Lucille Clifton Quotes

When you acquire enough inner peace and feel really positive about yourself, it's almost impossible for you to be controlled and manipulated by anybody else.

Be proud of your scars. They have everything to do with your strength, and what you've endured. They're a treasure map to the deep self.

Self-esteem does not mean feeling good all the time. Self-esteem means loving yourself even when you feel badly...even when you make a mistake. It means loving yourself even when you're depressed. It means that you accept yourself fully.

Anything that is within you is a gift. To be able to take possession of that and say, "Whatever it is, I am bigger than it," is to learn to cherish even the hard and painful things.

Instead of being ashamed of what you've been through, be proud of what you have overcome!

Just because your world is falling apart doesn't mean you have to fall apart. When everything seems crazy, you be calm. Don't let the outer chaos you are facing get inside of you.

They, that unnamed 'they,' they've knocked me down but I got up. I always get up-and I swear when I went down quite often I took the fall; nothing moves a mountain but itself. They, I've long ago named them me.

I master my doubts now. I have fun with them, they're my travelling companions.

I don't care what people think about me because I know I am more than all the pain and strife they hold inside.

I have my moments when I am down and low. But I gather myself when decisions are to be taken.

I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that.

I don't feel intimidated by any of the people I'm talking to or the situations I find myself in. I just try to make my nana proud.

You do not need to let anything get you down, but if you are down you certainly need not let anything keep you down.

Some weak people are so sensible of their weakness as to be able to make a good use of it.

When people feel that they have failed, it's usually because somebody or something caused them to feel that way and taste defeat. I refuse to dwell on that. Yes, it sucks at first, and the feeling is valid, but it all happens for a reason.

You can't hurt me, I found peace within myself.

It's okay not to be okay... Sometimes it's hard, to follow your heart but tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising, there's nothing wrong with who you are.

I'm not a victim. And the people who are victims of something, my heart is completely with them. But I'm not. I know I've been treated like a woman in this business [acting]. I mean I've got lots of stories, but they don't have any control over me.

Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage

Today I will tell myself that I'm lovable. Just because some people haven't been able to love me in ways that worked doesn't mean that I'm unlovable. I've had lessons to learn, and some of them have hurt deeply, but I can still love, and I still am loved.

If someone is trying to stop you from enjoying your life by impeding on yours, and telling you that your life is not the right way, then by all means, I'm the first one to say, "Fight for your rights, fight for who you are and for what you believe in." But you better be the stronger person. Just be aware and attentive to everything that's happening in life and know that there are gonna be people that are going to stop you and going to enjoy stopping you from getting to your goals. But just continue to be strong and outwit them.

People are bigger than anything that can happen to them.

Balance for me now means seeing myself as a tree, being strong enough in my roots and trunk to not be a pushover, but being flexible enough in every circumstance not to break. I am continuing to expand, but not any faster than my roots can support me.

We can all be weak, but we all have to make a conscious decision to be strong.