toni morrison quotes

Toni Morrison was a famous American novelist and essayist. Her “Solomon Book” caught national attention. And also she received the “National Book Critics Circle Award” for this book. 

In addition, Morrison has received the “Nobel Prize” in Literature. So let’s know about her life and see some famous Toni Morrison quotes with images.

Toni Morrison’s real name is Chloe Ardelia Wofford. She was born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain City, United States in a working-class family.

Morrison’s father George Wofford is working as a welder in a U.S. steel company. And her mother Ramah Wofford was a homemaker.

Her family was very poor. Once it happened that his father could not pay the rent of the house, then his landlord set his house on fire. Thus she was raised in extreme poverty.

Toni Morrison’s Life :

When Morrison was young, her parents would tell him about traditional African-American folklore and songs. Because of this, she was very interested in reading and writing. Her favorite writers in childhood were Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy.

Morrison adopted Catholicism when she was 12 years old. From that time, she was named Toni. She started her early studies at Lorraine High School. After studying, she started participating in the debate team and drama club.

Then in 1949, she started studies at Howard University, Washington D.C. In 1953, Morrison completed her B.A. Of English. And in 1955 she received a Master of Arts degree from Cornell University.

Young Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison in 1970

She then taught English at the Southern University of Texas. Thereafter taught at Howard University for 7 years. She met architect Harold Morrison while teaching at Howard, and after some months they married afterward. And 5 years later they divorced. At that time, she was pregnant for the second time.

After her divorce, Morrison moved to New York and worked as an editor at the publisher Random House. During this time Morrison started writing books and novels. And in 1972 she published her first book “The Groundbreaking Contemporary African Literature”.

After this, her reputation grew significantly. Her most accomplished work was “Beloved”. A film was also made on this in 1998. Morrison was then selected by the National Endowment in 1996 for the Jefferson Lecture.

Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison in 2013

In 2012, President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Toni Morrison. And also she received the Saul Bellow Award in 2016.

How Did Toni Morrison Die?

Toni Morrison's Quote
Toni Morrison’s Quote at National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Toni Morrison developed pneumonia in 2019. So She was taken to Montefiore Medical Center in New York. But the complication of pneumonia was more. Hence, Morrison died at the age of 88 on August 5, 2019.

Toni Morrison Quotes :

toni morrison quotes
You can get true freedom only when you free someone else. – Toni Morrison

“You can never lose what you do not have.” – Toni Morrison

“If you will use faith and power properly then you will feel like you are dreaming.” – Toni Morrison

“Anger can paralyze your emotions.” – Toni Morrison

“Beauty is not just to behold.” – Toni Morrison

“Whatever you want to do, do it properly.” – Toni Morrison

toni morrison quotes
If you surrender to something, only then you can get that thing. – Toni Morrison

“If you can’t do anything, try to learn it.” – Toni Morrison

“We can never shape the world but the world shapes us..” – Toni Morrison

“Our hatred first burns us.” – Toni Morrison

“It is good to forget what you cannot do.” – Toni Morrison

toni morrison quotes
If you want to be free, then you have to forget all your problems. – Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison Quotes On Love :

toni morrison quotes on love
Have you ever seen a cloud fall in love with a mountain? – Toni Morrison

“If you think that love is easy, then you are stupid.” – Toni Morrison

“Love can never be better than a lover.” – Toni Morrison

“The love of a free man can never be true.” – Toni Morrison

“You are in everything I have ever loved.” – Toni Morrison

toni morrison quotes on love
The most difficult is to fall in love with God. – Toni Morrison

“True freedom is where you can love anyone you choose.” – Toni Morrison

“You can never lose someone you love.” – Toni Morrison

“If you find love natural, then you are blind.” – Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison Quotes On Writing :

toni morrison quotes on writing
If you want to read a book that has not been written, then you have to write it. – Toni Morrison

“Writing means thinking about things that are unresolved and mysterious.” – Toni Morrison

“Our language helps us to meditate.” – Toni Morrison

“Definitions are related to definers and not to define.” – Toni Morrison

“Writing is also our way of thinking.” – Toni Morrison

“I was able to write my first novel because I wanted to read it.” – Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison Quotes For Beloved :

toni morrison quotes from beloved, beloved quotes
There comes a time in life when the beauty of the world becomes enough for us. – Toni Morrison

“There can be no better gift than love for the one you love.” – Toni Morrison

“There is nothing like bad luck in this world.” – Toni Morrison

“Live in today because today is always here, not tomorrow.” – Toni Morrison

toni morrison quotes from beloved, beloved quotes
You are your best thing in the world. – Toni Morrison

“You cannot expect success by simply confusing someone.” – Toni Morrison

“She is a real friend of my mind.” – Toni Morrison

“If you are with good people then you should also try to be good.” – Toni Morrison

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