Power of Language

Because sometimes we need a little reminding...

"what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood" (40)

"For those of us who write, it is necessary to scrutinize not only the truth of what we speak, but the truth of that language by which we speak it. For others, it is to share and spread also those words that are meaningful to us. But primarily for us all, it is necessary to teach by living and speaking those truths which we believe and know beyond understanding. Because in this alone we can survive, by taking part in a process of life that is creative and continuing, that is growth" (43)

"For we have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us" (44)

Lorde, Audre. "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action." Sister Outsider: Essays & Speeches