On being allowed to find your voice at a young age
One of the things that my parents believed was that my voice was relevant and my opinions were meaningful and my anger and frustration was real. And that’s something that parents from any socioeconomic background realise. That was the gift she gave me.
On love, and what it takes for a real relationship to work
A true partnership requires two whole people. So, first of all, you have to choose well. You have to choose somebody who’s fully formed because love doesn’t form somebody – that’s not what love does.
On success, fear and rising beyond the expectations of others
What I try to convey in some of the transitions I make is, overcoming fear or even learning to live with the fear is one of the keys to success, because fear in transition is something that happens all the time.
Michelle Obama's advice for young black women today
You have to start by trying to get those demons out of your head. The question that I sometimes continue to ask myself is 'Am I good enough?' That haunts us because the message that is set from the time that we’re little is, maybe you’re not. That’s the first dragon that you have to slay.
On proving your worth among those who don't want you to succeed
There’s still a lot of brokenness at the hands of people in power who are making us feel like we don’t belong. They haven’t fixed it yet, because they need our voices at the table to make that happen. So, you have to prepare yourself in your mind, in your heart, and you have to have an education because when you have those arrows thrown at you, what you’ve got to fall back on is your preparedness – your ability to deliver.
On progress, hope and changing the world
Change is not a straight line. If you look over the history of America, the Voting Rights Act is not as old as I am – we are still overcoming. We're putting down markers and we make progress. Going backward doesn't mean the progress wasn't real, it just means that it's hard.