Top 199 Quotes & Sayings by Nikki Giovanni

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American poet Nikki Giovanni.

Last updated on December 3, 2024.

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She has won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she has been named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends".

American - Poet | Born: June 7, 1943

Source: Wikipedia

I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.

Nikki Giovanni

I spend a lot of time learning about bird watching.

Nikki Giovanni

If everybody became a poet the world would be much better. We would all read to each other.

Nikki Giovanni

The catchword I use with my classes is: The authority of the writer always overcomes the skepticism of the reader.

Nikki Giovanni

White people really deal more with God and black people with Jesus.

Nikki Giovanni

We love because it's the only true adventure.

Nikki Giovanni

We eat up artists like there's going to be a famine at the end.

Nikki Giovanni

Now, everything I do, I do because I want to. And I believe the best is yet to come.

Nikki Giovanni

When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to grow again so that you can skin them again.

Nikki Giovanni

We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained.

Nikki Giovanni

Some say we are responsible for those we love. Others know we are responsible for those who love us.

Nikki Giovanni

A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it.

Nikki Giovanni

A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.

Nikki Giovanni

There're two people in the world that are not likeable: a master and a slave.

Nikki Giovanni

I think one of the nicest things that we created as a generation was just the fact that we could say, 'Hey, I don't like white people.'

Nikki Giovanni

I am totally fascinated by people and our history as I understand and continue to explore it. People have so much to give and so far to go and yet we have given and gone a great distance. It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.

Nikki Giovanni

I had a really nice childhood; I had great parents. I earned my allowance by washing dishes, and in the summer I earned my allowance by working in daddy's garden.

Nikki Giovanni

If you know what you're talking about, or if you feel that you do, the reader will believe you.

Nikki Giovanni

You must invent your own games and teach us old ones how to play.

Nikki Giovanni

Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste.

Nikki Giovanni

Follow your image as far as you can no matter how useless you think it is. Push yourself.

Nikki Giovanni

I am proud of the hip hop generation. They are good business people and, actually, good people.

Nikki Giovanni

If now isn't a good time for the truth I don't see when we'll get to it.

Nikki Giovanni

For most of my life, I've thought of myself as pretty cool.

Nikki Giovanni

Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.

Nikki Giovanni

I appreciate and enjoy my age.

Nikki Giovanni

Sacred cows make very poor gladiators.

Nikki Giovanni

If you don't understand yourself you don't understand anybody else.

Nikki Giovanni

I'm just totally fascinated by people.

Nikki Giovanni

Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying.

Nikki Giovanni

There are things you stand up for because it's right.

Nikki Giovanni

Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.

Nikki Giovanni

If I could come back as anything - I'd be a bird, first, but definitely the command key is my second choice.

Nikki Giovanni

We believe 'Peter Rabbit' because Beatrix Potter believes it. You have to.

Nikki Giovanni

The poet Melvin B. Tolson once said, 'A civilization is judged only in its decline.' That made sense to me. I would imagine the same is true for poets and tennis players.

Nikki Giovanni

Favorite poems are like favorite children. We definitely have them but we never tell as the others would have their feelings hurt.

Nikki Giovanni

Hip-hop is a cultural expression - it's embracing.

Nikki Giovanni

I want to be clear about this. If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.

Nikki Giovanni

Who I really am keeps surprising me.

Nikki Giovanni

I am a huge fan of the Black woman. I never hesitate to recommend her when times are bad or things go wrong.

Nikki Giovanni

There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect.

Nikki Giovanni

We are better than we think and not yet what we want to be.

Nikki Giovanni

Once you know who you are, you don't have to worry anymore.

Nikki Giovanni

Show me someone not full of herself and I'll show you a hungry person.

Nikki Giovanni

You must be unintimidated by your own thoughts.

Nikki Giovanni

We have a world to conquer...one person at a time...starting with ourselves.

Nikki Giovanni

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

Nikki Giovanni

Mistakes are a fact of life. If you are willing to be wrong then you have earned the right to be right.

Nikki Giovanni

She knows who she is, because she knows who she isn't.

Nikki Giovanni

I used to dream militant dreams of taking over america to show these whitefolks how it should be done i used to dream radical dreams of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers of correct analysis i even used to think that i'd be the one to stop the riot and negotiate the peace then i awoke & dug that if i dreamed natural dreams of being a natural woman doing what a woman does when she's natural i would have a revolution.

Nikki Giovanni

I would put books on par with chocolate, because a good book is delicious.

Nikki Giovanni

The poet can only write the poems; it takes the reader to complete the meaning.

Nikki Giovanni

I don't have a life-style, I have a life.

Nikki Giovanni

Style has a profound meaning to Black Americans. If we can’t drive, we will invent walks and the world will envy the dexterity of our feet. If we can’t have ham, we will boil chitterlings; if we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers; if given scraps, we will make quilts; take away our drums, and we will clap our hands. We prove the human spirit will prevail. We will take what we have to make what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge of who we are.

Nikki Giovanni

The only way you can grow is to let yourself make mistakes and create contradictions. As we learn new things, some of our old attitudes will change.

Nikki Giovanni

The unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.

Nikki Giovanni

We obviously need the truth. We're living in a country of lies.

Nikki Giovanni

Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way.

Nikki Giovanni

Art offers sanctuary to everyone willing to open their Hearts as well as their Eyes.

Nikki Giovanni

History is wonderful. We have so much we can learn if we would quit making ideology out of history, and just deal with what happened.