Alice Walker is a poet, novelist, short story writer and social activist from the United States, who rose to prominence in the 20th century and remains one of the foremost intellectuals of the world. She was born in a poor family but her mother made sure that she was educated and Walker had secretly started writing stories from as early an age as eight. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Walker plunged straight into the world of activism by joining voter registration campaigns and other welfare programs. She had been interested in the Civil Rights Movement and the movement had a profound influence on her as an activist. Walker’s writing career is best known for the book ‘The Color Purple’ published in 1982 that made her one of the better known writers in the world. It won her the National Book Award and more importantly, she was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her other notable works as a writer include ‘The Third Life of Grange Copeland’ and ‘Meridian’, both of which further enhanced her reputation as a writer of rare skill. Walker is a woman who is a great orator and here are some of the more famous quotes from her life as a writer, activist and public intellectual.
Hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is proof.
Alice Walker
The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.
Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for.
Oh, Celie, unbelief is a terrible thing. And so is the hurt we cause others unknowingly.
Alice Walker
Never offer your heart
to someone who eats hearts
who finds heartmeat
delicious
but not rare
who sucks the juices
drop by drop
and bloody-chinned
grins
like a God.
She was so quiet. So reflective. And she could erase herself, her spirit, with a swiftness that truly startled, when she knew the people around her could not respect it.
