15 Powerful Quotes from Inspiring African Americans

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Black History Month is an annual acknowledgment and celebration of the role African-Americans have played in American History.

While the month of February may be the shortest month of the year, it is important to remember and recognize that Black History, is American History and we should be acknowledging this the entire year.

With that being said, I’d like to take the time to highlight 15 Powerful Quotes from Inspiring African Americans that I find very poignant.

Be blessed by their words.

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.

~Alice Walker

I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.

~Booker T. Washington

Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift. 

~Oprah Winfrey

Do what you GOTTA do so you can do what you WANT to do.

~Denzel Washington

The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.

~Bob Marley

You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.

~Marian Wright Edelman

Success isn’t about how much money you make it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.

~Michelle Obama

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

~Barack Obama

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

~Maya Angelou

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He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

~Muhammad Ali

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style

~Maya Angelou

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

~ Harriet Tubman

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

~James Baldwin