Seven Powerful Toni Morrison Quotes That Will Inspire Black Writers to Write
Toni Morrison would be celebrating her 92nd birthday this weekend on February 18th, but her words and her works remain timeless. In her lifetime, Ms. Toni wrote 11 novels and 13 books of nonfiction, as well as short stories, plays, and children’s books. But she stands as a literary hero, not only for the books she wrote and the awards she won, but also for the teaching, editing, and nurturing of other writers she did along the way. Toni Morrison was a champion of the written word and she cared deeply about Black people, Black women, and Black culture.
Toni Morrison: Literary Hero
Mouth Full of Blood was the last book Toni Morrison wrote before she died in 2019.
I have to be honest, the reason Toni Morrison is one of my literary heroes has nothing to do with her books, or that we were both born in February. The truth is, I consider Morrison one of my literary patron saints because of her unwavering determination and unapologetic attitude in telling Black stories. Toni Morrison never apologized for centering Black people in her literature, and she never bent to publishing trends. In fact, she set the trends. Toni Morrison was a literary truth teller and a renegade, but she was savvy enough to get the mainstream publishing industry to disseminate her work. Moreover, despite the fact that Morrison chose to only write about Black people, she managed to collect almost every award and accolade - the Nobel Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for example - from the institutions and organizations that were historically committed to celebrating only white authors and their work.
7 Toni Morrison Quotes on Writing for Black Writers
So, whenever you need that extra motivation to return to the page, or whenever you’re doubting whether or not you will get a book deal if all of your characters and points of reference center Blackness, turn to Toni for inspiration. But also, you can look to Toni’s words when you just need reminding that a writing life is an important life, and that writers occupy a necessary place in a forward-moving society.
Here are seven Toni Morrison quotes that you can return to again and again to stay motivated and inspired to write.
“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”
“A writer’s life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity.”
“I don’t mind writing badly for a couple of days because I know I can fix it - and fix it again - and again and again and it will be better.”
“When I write, I don’t translate for white readers…Dostoyevsky wrote for a Russian audience but we’re able to read him.”
“Being a Black woman writer is not a shallow place, but a rich place to write from. It doesn’t limit my imagination; it expands it. It’s richer than being a white male writer because I know more and I’ve experienced more.”
“It’s important, therefore, to know who the real enemy is, and to know the function, the very serious function of racism, which is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Someone says you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
“Whatever the work is, do it well—not for the boss, but for yourself.”
More Toni Morrison at Princeton University
I hope wherever Toni Morrison’s spirit resides, she knows what she meant to so many of us writers, trying to follow in her footsteps. And speaking of Toni’s footsteps, if you happen to be in the Princeton, New Jersey area, Princeton University is launching some dynamic and exciting new exhibitions and programing celebrating Toni Morrison beginning next week. From the University’s website: “Princeton University Library (PUL) will present a revelatory exhibition, “Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory,” excavating the creative process of writer and former Princeton University Professor and 1993 Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. Curated by Autumn Womack, assistant professor of English and African American Studies, the exhibition will be the center of a community-wide exploration of how Morrison’s archive continues to influence the past, present, and future.” The exhibition will run from February 22 - June 4 2023. For more information, visit Princeton University’s Library website.