Nikki Giovanni

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it.”

“Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying.”

“For most of my life, I've thought of myself as pretty cool.”

“I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.”

“I am totally fascinated by people and our history as I understand and continue to explore it. People have so much to give and so far to go and yet we have given and gone a great distance. It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.”

“I spend a lot of time learning about bird watching.”

“Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.”