What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea, Jungle star or jungle track, Strong bronzed men, or regal black Women from whose loins I sprang When the birds of Eden sang? — Countee Cullen
Africa is one continent, one people and one nation — Kwame Nkrumah
Given that Africa is where humans originated. We are all African. — Tim Marshall
The traditional face of Africa includes an attitude towards man which can only be described as being socialist — Kwame Nkrumah
Until all Africans stand and speak as free human beings, equal in the eyes of the Almighty; until that day, the African continent shall not know peace. — Haile Selassie
Africa is a continent of people who as yet have no voice. — Tim Marshall
Africa is our center of gravity, our cultural and spiritual mother and father, our beating heart, no matter where we live on the face of this earth. — John Henrik Clarke
Africa suffered under European dominance for centuries. — Jacob Zuma
The Negro is an exotic of the most gorgeous and superb countries of the world, and he has deep in his heart a passion for all that is splendid, rich and fanciful. — Harriet Beecher Stowe
The African is not 'Communistic' in his thinking; he is -- if I may coin an expression - 'communitary'. — Julius Nyerere
All people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or in any part of the world are Africans and belong to the African nation. — Kwame Nkrumah
African music, though very old, is always being rediscovered in the West. — Miriam Makeba
If Africa wasn't beautiful the white man wouldn't want it. — Malcolm X
Africa, your sufferings have been the theme that has arrested & engaged my heart. — William Wilberforce
God bless Africa, Guard her people, Guide her leaders, And give her peace. — Trevor Huddleston
Short African Quotes
If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best? — Garrett Morgan
Fighting is a sport; if you're not humble it's going to bring humbleness to you. — Mike Tyson
We must learn to live the African way. It's the only way to live in freedom and with dignity — Thomas Sankara
Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else. — Maya Angelou
I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail. — Sojourner Truth
When people tell me nothing has changed, I say come walk in my shoes and I will show you change. — John Lewis
Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations. — Mae Jemison
We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves. — Barbara Jordan
Never mind what haters say, ignore them 'til they fade away. — T.I.
You cannot sing African music in proper English — Fela Kuti
African Image Quotes
A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness — Chinua Achebe
The possible has been tried and failed. Now it's time to try the impossible. — Sun Ra
Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle. — Wilma Rudolph
Remember who you are and whose you are. — Thea Bowman
I Am An African Quotes
I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. — Thabo Mbeki
I am famous because I am an African American jazz artist. — Nat King Cole
I am an African and I am very proud of that. — Fatou Bensouda
I have never been more proud of the United States than I am this year. We have elected an African-American president. We have the stellar Michelle Obama setting the standard for American women. I simply cannot say it enough: look how far we've come. — Kathryn Stockett
I am an American. Black. Conservative. I don't use African-American, because I'm American, I'm black and I'm conservative. I don't like people trying to label me. African- American is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not some people. — Herman Cain
It is not quite true to say that I am not an advocate of writing in African languages. What I think is, one has to think about what is practicable. — Chinua Achebe
I am more of a conservationist, myself. And people have come to me and said, "Wow, you're an African-American conservationist!" And my response is, "No, I'm a conservationist who happens to be black." — Jerome Ringo
I am a colored woman or a Negro woman. Either one is OK. People dislike those words now. Today these use this term African American. It wouldn't occur to me to use that. I prefer to think of myself as an American, that's all! — Annie Elizabeth Delany
I am not an African. I am an American. — Albert Murray
African Women Quotes
It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem. — Coretta Scott King
Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. — Mae Jemison
Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way. — Nikki Giovanni
I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm. — Septima Poinsette Clark
Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us. — Angela Bassett
In the dark times, if you have something to hold on to, which is yourself, you'll survive. — Whoopi Goldberg
You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you. — Josephine Baker
My father was a slave and my people died to build this country and I am going to stay here and have a part of it just like you. — Paul Robeson
WOMEN must be at the forefront of nation-building to bring the South African citizenry together and, therefore, develop a whole new ethos of human co-existence — Steven Biko
African women in general need to know that it's OK for them to be the way they are - to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence. — Wangari Maathai
African American Women Quotes
I've always believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. — Alice Coachman
What they call you is one thing. What you answer to is something else. — Lucille Clifton
I'm convinced that we Black women possess a special indestructible strength that allows us to not only get down, but to get up, to get through, and to get over. — Janet Jackson
The potential for greatness lives within us all. — Wilma Rudolph
There's a category for me. I like to be referred to as a good singer of good songs in good taste. — Sarah Vaughan
Don't let anything stop you. There will be times when you'll be disappointed, but you can't stop. Make yourself the best that you can make out of what you are. The very best. — Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander
Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face. — Carol Moseley Braun
I'm realizing, you don't need to change anything about yourself. This is who you are, and it's okay. That's daring. — Uzo Aduba
I am the dream and the hope of the slave — Maya Angelou
Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionarys life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime. — Angela Davis
We have a wonderful history behind us. ... If you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record, the world will say to you, 'You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything else'. — Carter G. Woodson
At no time within the last five-hundred years can one point to a single instance of the Negro as a race of haters. — Marcus Garvey
The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience. — Henry Louis Gates
I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up. — Rosa Parks
Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate in the blessings of her luxuriant soil. — Richard Allen
Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us. — Susan L. Taylor
I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. — Harriet Tubman
African American Love Quotes
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. — Malcolm X
A moment of anger can destroy a lifetime of work, whereas a moment of love can break barriers that took a lifetime to build. — Leon Brown
It doesn't matter what you all think, what you all say about me, because when I go home at night, the same people that I look in the face, my family that I love, that's all that really matters to me. — Marshawn Lynch
Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred — Booker T. Washington
Listen to yourself, not the noise of the world. Only you know what is right for you. — Leon Brown
Look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher. — Russell Simmons
Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it. — Toni Morrison
Sometimes we have to lose our way to find out what we really want, for we often ignore our needs until we are lost. — Leon Brown
What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of South Africans who love their country and love everybody, irrespective of their colour. — Chris Hani
Unfortunately there was one thing that the white South feared more than Negro dishonesty, ignorance, and incompetency, and that was Negro honesty, knowledge, and efficiency. — W. E. B. Du Bois
The southward advance of native African farmers with Central African crops halted in Natal, beyond which Central African crops couldn't grow - with enormous consequences for the recent history of South Africa. — Jared Diamond
I look at an ant and I see myself: a native South African, endowed by nature with a strength much greater than my size so I might cope with the weight of a racism that crushes my spirit. — Miriam Makeba
Nelson Mandela sat in a South African prison for 27 years. He was nonviolent. He negotiated his way out of jail. His honor and suffering of 27 years in a South African prison is really ultimately what brought about the freedom of South Africa. That is nonviolence. — Coretta Scott King
The best tribute we can pay Madiba is to ensure that our political debate focuses on issues of how best we can ensure that each South African child, whatever the circumstances of their birth, inherits freedom they can use. — Helen Zille
As an African American child growing up in the segregated South, I was told, one way or another, almost every day of my life, that I wasn't as good as a white child. — Coretta Scott King
I think a legitimate target is the enemy and [the] enemy is basically in uniform, but not all [are] in Uniform. For example in the rural areas, our judgement is that virtually the whole farming community is part of the South African Defence Force. — Joe Slovo
That is a debatable point, whether South Africans are xenophobic. I don't you'd have the numbers that you have of foreigners if South Africa was xenophobic. — Jacob Zuma
The principal investors in the South African economy are South Africans. And this is something, I think, we should really pay attention to. — Thabo Mbeki
African American History Month Quotes
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise. — Maya Angelou
You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man. — Frederick Douglass
Black people have always been America's wilderness in search of a promised land. — Cornel West
Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can. — Arthur Ashe
American means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves with ethnicity and hyphen after hyphen after hyphen. — Toni Morrison
I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. — Zora Neale Hurston
I refuse to accept the view . . . that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is my hope that as we commemorate Black History Month in the future, we will continue to celebrate the many achievements and rich culture of African-Americans. — Eliot Engel
African Music Quotes
I've got to where I am in life not because of something I brought to the world but through something I found - the wealth of African culture. — Hugh Masekela
Gospel music rhythms are not African in origin, although I know that's what the jazz experts say. — Mahalia Jackson
I have this ability to find this hidden talent in people that sometimes even they didn't know they had. — Berry Gordy
Regardless of what you play, the biggest thing is keeping the feel going. — Wes Montgomery
First of all, the music that people call Latin or Spanish is really African. So Black people need to get the credit for that. — Carlos Santana
It's a great thing about being a musician; you don't stop until the day you die, you can improve. So it's a wonderful thing to do. — Marcus Miller
People called rock & roll 'African music.' They called it 'voodoo music.' They said that it would drive the kids insane. They said that it was just a flash in the pan - the same thing that they always used to say about hip-hop. — Little Richard
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. — Duke Ellington
As players of instruments, it is our duty to reach out and give light to those in the dark in whatever way that we can. All my actions are a fulfilment of all the African music genres - I'm only trying to maintain the culture and the tradition. I am a musician. — Sizzla
African Culture Quotes
Violence is black children going to school for 12 years and receiving 6 years' worth of education. — Julian Bond
You should always respect what you are and your culture because if your art is going to mean anything, that is where it comes from. — Romare Bearden
The equilibrium you admire in me is an unstable one, difficult to maintain. My inner life was split early between the call of the Ancestors and the call of Europe, between the exigencies of black-African culture and those of modern life. — Leopold Sedar Senghor
We have to realize our black heritage in order to give us strength to move on and progress. But as far as returning to the old African culture, it's unnecessary and it's not advantageous in many respects. We believe that culture itself will not liberate us. We're going to need some stronger stuff. — Huey Newton
There's an African proverb: 'When death finds you, may it find you alive.' Alive means living your own damned life, not the life that your parents wanted, or the life some cultural group or political party wanted, but the life that your own soul wants to live. — Michael Meade
Thousands of years ago, civilizations flourished in Africa which suffer not at all by comparison with those of other continents. In those centuries, Africans were politically free and economically independent. Their social patterns were their own and their cultures truly indigenous. — Haile Selassie
Families were living separately from the fathers. And so although, according to African culture, men were the head of the household, the truth is women were the ones who were raising everybody, including men. And growing up with my mother, that was something I really learned to appreciate. — Trevor Noah
My dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men. As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he's always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white. He has a certain rootlessness, a deracination. — Cornel West
To reaffirm the statement on the choosing of my identity, I come from two beautiful cultures which I have embraced, bridged, balanced, and identify with. I am proud to be who I am as a Dine' (Navajo) and Nahilii (African American) woman. Hozho', , & blessings — Radmilla Cody
The Afro-American experience is the only real culture that America has. Basically, every American tries to walk, talk, dress and behave like African Americans. — Hugh Masekela
African Continent Quotes
The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African Continent — Kwame Nkrumah
The African Union has to act in order to put an end to armed conflicts that undermine the continent, to fight against the devastation caused by AIDS and other contagious diseases, to promote sustainable development of its member states. — Omar Bongo
From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent, and even here in our own hemisphere, our veterans have made the world a better place and America the great country we are today. — John Hoeven
Happily, there's a reversal of the brain drain occurring in Ghana now. We're seeing a lot of - actually in Africa - we're seeing a lot of African professionals, you know, returning to the continent to contribute their quota. — John Dramani Mahama
Africa does not have an uncle abroad who will come to bail it out of its political and economic woes. It is important that African countries wake up and pool whatever resources they have and jointly deal elements pulling our continent down a death blow. — Bernard Membe
I'll be the first US president to not only visit Kenya and Ethiopia, but also to address the continent as a whole, building off the African summit that we did here which was historic and has, I think, deepened the kinds of already strong relationships that we have across the continent. — Barack Obama
Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete. — Matthew Parris
It is quite easy to understand what China would need from the African continent with regards to its own economy, raw materials, oil and a market for manufactured goods. As I say it is not difficulty to understand and perfectly legitimate. There is nothing wrong with that. — Thabo Mbeki
It is not a problem. I had been nominated by my country Uganda and the African continent had endorsed me... No matter how much noise the frogs make, they cannot stop a cow from drinking water. — Sam Kutesa
Sport has the power to inspire and unite people. In Africa, soccer enjoys great popularity and has a particular place in the hearts of people. — Nelson Mandela
African Race Quotes
It's time we become comfortable with the uncomfortable conversations about race...Instead of being color blind, we need to be color brave. — Mellody Hobson
No white American ever thinks that any other race is wholly civilized until he wears the white man’s clothes, eats the white man’s food, speaks the white man’s language, and professes the white man’s religion. — Booker T. Washington
I am of the African race, and in the colour which is natural to them of the deepest dye; and it is under a sense of the most profound gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. — Benjamin Banneker
The treatment of African and African American culture in our education was no different from their treatment in Tarzan movies. — Ishmael Reed
The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing a special sense of sympathy for all who suffer and fail of justice. — Fannie Barrier Williams
The history of a movement, the history of a nation, the history of a race is the guide-post of that movement's destiny, that nation's destiny, that race's destiny. — Marcus Garvey
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. — Brigham Young
People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don't want to be perceived as having yet another deficit. — Bebe Moore Campbell
Crime is fast destroying the moral fabric of South African cities, and is becoming a major threat to South African democracy as well as the prominent manifestation of a "class war" that is largely a continuation of the "race war" of yesterday. — Achille Mbembe
I saw all races, all colors, blue eyed blonds to black skinned Africans in true brotherhood! In unity! Living as one! Worshiping as one! No segregationists, no liberals; they would not have known how to interpret the meaning of those words — Malcolm X
Africa Quotes
It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world. — Kwame Nkrumah
During my term in AU, I will initiate an organised compensation claim for Africa and I will fight for a greater voice for Africa in the United Nations Security Council. If they (Western nations) do not want to live with us fairly, it is our planet and they can go to other planet. — Muammar al-Gaddafi
As far as i am concerned, i am in the knowledge that death can never extinguish the torch which i have lit in Ghana and Africa. Long after i am dead and gone, the light will continue to burn and be borne aloft, giving light and guidance to all people — Kwame Nkrumah
His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular. — Idi Amin
What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead. — Nelson Mandela
In view of my services in Africa, I have the chance of dying by poison. Two generals have brought it with them. It is fatal in three seconds. If I take the poison, none of the usual steps will be taken against my family; that is, against you. They will also leave my staff alone. — Erwin Rommel
People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. — David Livingstone
No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial or ethnic minorities. The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid — Michelle Alexander
A new era will dawn in Africa, when the impoverished masses of a nation rise up to rescue their right to a decent life from the hands of the ruling oligarchies. — Che Guevara
We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity. — Oliver Tambo
African American Quotes
I have written a song that says: If you ever lose someone dear to you, never say the words, "They're gone," and they'll come back. — Prince
In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe. — Michael Jackson
Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today. — Malcolm X
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. — Thomas Sowell
I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift. — Septima Poinsette Clark
I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera. — Gordon Parks
It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. — Whitney M. Young
It is extremely rough to follow through with my goals, but I felt a responsibility to show the world what the African Americans are facing through this rough patch. — Ida B. Wells
Unhappiness does not come from the way things are, but from the difference between how things are and how we think they should be — Creflo A. Dollar
The Lord was pleased to strengthen us, and remove all fear from us, and disposed our hearts to be as useful as possible. — Richard Allen
Africa Continent Quotes
I'd move to Los Angeles if New Zealand and Australia were swallowed up by a tidal wave, if there was a bubonic plague in England and if the continent of Africa disappeared from some Martian attack. — Russell Crowe
I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses. — Nelson Mandela
If you want to bet on the future, bet on the continent [Africa] that has the youngest people, and bet on the continent that has the highest desire to change. — Charles Hoskinson
Those new regions [America] which we found and explored with the fleet . . . we may rightly call a New World . . . a continent more densely peopled and abounding in animals than our Europe or Asia or Africa; and, in addition, a climate milder than in any other region known to us. — Amerigo Vespucci
The fact is that ours is the first generation that can look disease and extreme poverty in the eye, look across the ocean to Africa, and say this, and mean it. We do not have to stand for this. A whole continent written off - we do not have to stand for this. — Bono
Africa the continent is not just what we see on the news. It's... not AIDS, and it's not just war and poverty. It's so much more. It's an abundant continent, and Botswana is an abundant place. — Jill Scott
The continent is too large to describe. It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos. Only with the greatest simplification, for the sake of convenience, can we say 'Africa'. In reality, except as a geographical appellation, Africa does not exist. — Ryszard Kapuscinski
We will continue to count on your unwavering support and commitment to working with leaders of our continent in bringing about the desired renaissance of Africa. — Thabo Mbeki
Africa is a continent in flames. And deep down, if we really accepted that Africans were equal to us, we would all do more to put the fire out. We're standing around with watering cans, when what we really need is the fire brigade. — Bono
The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor. — James Shikwati
Proud African Quotes
Racism is very characteristic of imperialism and capitalism. Hate against me has a lot to do with racism. Because of my big mouth and curly hair. And I'm so proud to have this mouth and this hair, because it is African. — Hugo Chavez
I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be an African American in America. I've had some interesting experiences: some great, some not so great, but I love it here. — Wesley Snipes
I'm always very proud of belonging to three minorities: gay, Jewish, white South African. — Antony Sher
Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way and we're more proud of that. — Tony Dungy
We cannot continually barricade ourselves under some falsified idea of race, because our idea of blackness and race is simply reactionary. Africans didn't walk around Africa being black and proud, they walked around proud. — Saul Williams
Nowadays, people always say, how come he's doing such young shows? But they never mention The Mod Squad. I was very proud of that show. It's the first time an African-American guy kissed a white girl. — Aaron Spelling
Actors are always looking for new territory, and playing an African figure would be really a great symbol for me because of my Senegalese roots. It would make my parents proud, so of course I'd do it. — Omar Sy
Today we are a nation at peace with itself, united in our diversity, not only proclaiming but living out the contention that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. We take our place amongst the nations of the world, confident and proud in being an African country. — Nelson Mandela
Inside me I'm Ghanaian, and I'm proud to be African. But of course I'm Italian. I was born in Italy. I've never been to Africa in my life, but I will go one day. — Mario Balotelli
Mostly I'm proud to be an African-American woman, but I'm glad I have a universal look as well. — Chanel Iman
History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity. — Haile Selassie
That is my best friend because it is a gift of the creator to Africans. It is a spirit. Marijuana has five fingers of creation...it enhances all your five senses. — Fela Kuti
The philosophy of Africanism holds out the hope of a genuine democracy beyond the stormy sea of struggle — Robert Sobukwe
African nationalism is meaningless, dangerous, anachronistic, if it is not, at the same time, pan-Africanism. — Julius Nyerere
Ancient Egypt was a Negro Civilization. The history of Black Africa will remain suspended in air and cannot be written correctly until African historians dare to connect it with the history of Egypt. — Cheikh Anta Diop
In Conclusion
Which quotation resonated with you best? Did you enjoy our collection of african quotes? Or may be you have a slogan about african to suggest. Let us know using our contact form.
Citation
Feel free to cite and use any of the quotes in this collection of african quotations. For popular citation styles(APA, Chicago, MLA), please use this citation page.
