Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr. (Nikki Giovanni) Quotes
If culture was a railroad, I can see the tracks running from the Spirituals to the Hip Hop Nation.

Quotes to Explore
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The irony is that Washington was, in reality, very much like Benedict Arnold. The big difference was that Washington was ultimately able to control his emotions, something Arnold never learned to do.
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I'm an optimist about other people. I'm not an optimist about myself.
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We have to surmount the difficulties that face us and work steadfastly for the happiness and prosperity of our country.
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There's a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying in to Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses. There's a message there.
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I mean, I am fully aware of my influence and my responsibility to society in general representing the gay community. But in the same time, I don't represent the entire gay community because it's a vast, vast community, as one can imagine.
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People should know what they want, not just what they don't want.
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Every year on your birthday, you get a chance to start new.
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Everybody has values. Now, you know it may be formed in a secular setting, it may be formed in an intellectual setting, but everybody comes forward with values.
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I don't think it's in any way harmful, this marriage of media and politicians. I think it enhances the communications process considerably and makes it possible for the public to be far more aware, far more up-to-date on issues and the opposite sides of the issues.
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I have to say that getting to tackle Maria in 'The Sound of Music' at Carnegie Hall was surreal. When I heard my voice, it was all I could do to keep myself from doing a British accent and sound like Julie Andrews!
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We think of Washington as the defensive-minded pragmatist who won the Revolution by avoiding unnecessary risks on the battlefield. But that was not how he started out.
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There are lots of things I'm acquainting myself with now to be a more well-rounded person.
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My mother left me for seven years in an orphanage.
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Perhaps concentrated wealth will inspire a nation of innovative problem-solvers. But if the view of many economists is right - that it sometimes discourages innovation - then we should worry.
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In Hanover Park they highlighted the terrible plight of backyard dwellers and the fact that year after year nothing has been done to help you: the hope and despair you all live with every day.
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Billy Crystal knows how to make people laugh. He's got 30 years on stage... there's no telling him what's funny.
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I never go wild with nails.
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When I was a little girl, I thought when I had an opportunity to go into space, I thought I would at a minimum be working on Mars or another large planet because we were doing all of these incredible things.
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I suggest school buses make stops at local libraries so that children who do not have resources like books at home can get access.
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Marc Lore has been a mentor of mine for a long time. He taught me how to hire people and how to do the hardest thing in business, which is to make a great culture. I believe Marc is the most innovative and ambitious e-commerce entrepreneur on the planet.
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A certain emotional frostiness is the heritage of a culture that puts great stock in WASP values: One does not talk about money sex, religion, and above all, one does not expose one's feelings. If a case can be made for the cultural contouring of personality, the Puritan ethic is the culprit in such rubrics as 'Children should be seen and not heard' and 'Never complain, never explain.
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I am an avid reader! As for writing, I might - someday. But we'll have to wait and see.
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It is good to connect to someone who reminds you that you have some real authenticity.
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If culture was a railroad, I can see the tracks running from the Spirituals to the Hip Hop Nation.