Quotes From Beloved Toni Morrison Novels & Stories

About meeting Martin Luther King in Chicago in 1966. "I was nobody," she said. "Just a poor Black girl from the Delta. But I was there. I saw things. I want someone to know." "I will make sure they know," I said. When I left, my recorder was full and my heart was overflowing. I had what I needed. The final piece. I drove home through the dark. The stars were out. The roads were empty. I thought about Mrs. Thomas. About my grandmother. About all the women who had come before me. Their strength was in my blood. Their stories were in my bones.

“He chose you. Do you think he doesn’t know what he’s signing up for? Stop making excuses. You’re just scared. Scared of being vulnerable. Scared of letting someone love you for who you are.” I laughed bitterly, punching the dummy with renewed vigor. “Love me for who I am? I’m a monster, Morana. I kill without hesitation, I fuck people to get what I want. I don’t have time for fairytales or moonlit strolls. Ashton is better off without me.”

“I’m the vanguard of a new movement. Fuck destiny. ‘I am the master of my fate! I am the captain of my soul!’” “What is she talking about?” I ask Pritchard. The swagger he came out of the bushes with has all but disappeared, replaced by a long-suffering tension. He shakes his head. "I don’t know half the time, man.” Nia rolls her eyes. “It’s from ‘Invictus?’ By William Ernest Henley? Everyone knows that one.” Pritchard looks at me and tilts his head. I shrug. I’ve never heard of him either.

"I have another one titled How do I love thee. Elizabeth Barret Browning. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death." She

She could hear the shallowness of her breath as it stole prematurely from her lungs. "...I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love, which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is..." His eyes never left Ashlyn's as he recited the rest of the quote from memory. His gaze was piercing, his voice hypnotizing. With parted lips, she swallowed.

We encouraged others to embrace their own strength and to believe in the power of love to transform lives. And so, our story continued to unfold, with each chapter filled with new adventures, challenges, and triumphs. We were no longer defined by the twists and turns that had brought us here, but rather by our unwavering commitment to creating a better world. As I reflect on our journey, I am reminded of the quote by Helen Keller: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." Ava and Adrian had overcome the trials and tribulations that had tested their love, emerging stronger, wiser, and more determined than ever.

My stomach seems to burn with nausea, but I choose to keep my face in a cold mask of stupid courage. "Because every God needs to experience death to be worthy of what he deserves, love. "Jonathan makes a head movement to keep up with the threat implicit in the words, sounding darker than I remembered it could be. "That doesn't make me feel any gratitude for what you did, if you want to know.”

Letting her take the last useless breaths she has left on this earth. Staring at the beach in front I had just taken one step away from her. When I hear my mom's soft voice.The words she once said to me ,repeating in my mind. "Always remember that it's not hate that evens out hatred. It's love. It's not darkness that drives out darkness... it's light." " No matter what happens in life, promise me not turn your back on anyone who needs you. Promise me that this precious heart of yours will stay golden...no matter how much darkness surrounds it."

She felt caught in the crossfire of two worlds, each demanding loyalty, each threatening loss. Liam’s voice echoed in her memory, soft but insistent. “Sometimes the hardest path is the truest one.” She had replayed it a hundred times, each iteration tugging at her heart with fresh urgency. Those words weren’t just advice; they were a challenge. A warning that comfort could be death for a restless soul, and that love, real love, demanded courage.

In fact, I too think in the same way, until I turned my gift into my greatest strength. It was Theodore who motivated me by reading the famous words of Albert Einstein, ‘Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.’ "Now, tell me who you are and why you are here." Does the Queen send you to kill me?" I asked, tightening my grip on his neck.