Audre Lorde Quotes

I can't afford to be quiet all the time. I learned that.

Being a lady does not require silence.

I was silent as a child, and silenced as a young woman; I am taking my lumps and bumps for being a big mouth, now, but usually from those whose opinion I don't respect.

I don't care about controversies. I am a young woman with an opinion about certain things. I can't be diplomatic. I am a feminist, and as long as I can be the voice of hundreds of girls out there, I will speak my mind. I don't care what other people think.

Feminism is not dead, by no means. It has evolved. If you don't like the term, change it, for Goddess' sake. Call it Aphrodite, or Venus, or bimbo, or whatever you want; the name doesn't matter, as long as we understand what it is about, and we support it.

I think that instead of feminism being a political thing, it should be an act of creativity. It's more of a rock n' roll thing.

My voice is not going to be silenced by anybody.

I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't.

If you have an opportunity to use your voice you should use it.

A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together.

People and systems count on our silence to keep us exactly where we are.... in a world that wants us to whisper, I choose to yell.

The more messy women that we put on screen, that we put in books, the more women can feel represented and seen, then they can access their own stuff, feel it's okay, and then have the strength to speak out about things like we're talking about. About rising up.

I think my mom exposed me to the concept of using your voice for anything you care about.

I'm setting up a fund to empower girls and women to speak up - on all issues, not just sexual harassment. For me, it's about inspiring women to come together.

When I got somethin' to say, I'll say it.

The #MeToo and Time's Up movements have been a roar on behalf of women, and the voices are genuinely empowered now. I really feel that.

I am a fighter. I appeal to all the women in the world. Look around, speak up.

Some people are diplomatic, some people are outspoken, but the next generation is very clear. People are speaking their mind out. People are worried about other things besides their own careers. It's not accurate to say that they don't speak out.

We should be teaching young girls to take up space. Nothing is as important as taking up space in society and cementing yourself.

If we want to end a culture rampant with harassment, we must listen to the adult women who are speaking out courageously. We must also make room for girls to speak: If we listened, we'd find that many middle schoolers are trying to tell us, 'Me too.'

If feminism was a dress, it would be that essential little black number, reached for in times of need; different for everyone but a steady constant in a woman's life. Outspoken or understated, demure or provocative, worn to reflect the mood, the personality, the time.

I think, fundamentally, Man Repeller is a voice for women to connect with; they can come and try it on for size and be a part of it, and if it works for them, they take it with them.

You don't have to be a professional athlete to be heard - the most powerful tool you have is your voice.

I don't just want to support only Muslim women. I want to inspire women across the board, and I'm hoping they won't allow things to get in the way.

As members of society, we should always be pushing our girls to strive to be the best and to speak up and out about issues we see.