Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker has been inspiring readers with her stories, her passion, and her honesty for more than four decades. Below are some of our favorite inspirational Alice Walker quotes, from both her writings and interviews.

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alice walker quotes 1

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

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“Part of what existence means to me is knowing the difference between what I am now and what I was then.”
—from In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens

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temple of my familiar quote

“Keep in mind always the present you are constructing. It should be the future you want.”
—from The Temple of My Familiar

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revolutionary petunias quote

“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.”
—from Revolutionary Petunias

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alice walker quote 2

“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.”

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you can't keep a good woman down quote

“I believe in movements, collective action to influence the future.”
—from You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down

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color purple quote

“Why any woman give a shit what people think is a mystery to me.”
—from The Color Purple

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living by the word quote

“War will stop when we no longer praise it, or give it any attention at all.”
—from Living by the Word

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in love and trouble quote

“There are ways that the spirit can be mended just as there are ways that the spirit can be broken.”
—from In Love and Trouble

possessing the secret of joy quote

“If you lie to yourself about your own pain, you will be killed by those who will claim you enjoyed it.”
—from Possessing the Secret of Joy

Get great deals on ebooks by Alice Walker and more of the authors who inspire you when you sign up for Early Bird Books.

Photo: Courtesy of Alice Walker

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