“It isn’t violence that can break through our hearts. It isn’t force that binds us and keeps us together. Only tenderness has the power to accomplish what the fullness of love desires to do. Tenderness that approaches us little by little, and handles our feelings with the deepest affection and delight. Tenderness that is willing to wait for the right time until we are ready and we are no longer afraid.”

“Love has a certain element of tenderness, which alone pierces through the heart and binds us more intimately than any force in the universe ever can.”

“This book is about having the courage to stand in the ever-crooked room of black womanhood and summon the magic to set it straight. Even if only for a moment, the act alone heals you just enough for the next tilt of the room.”

“For a long time, I was the girl who believed nothing good would ever come her way. So much so that I could will the negative to come before the good could even make it to my location.”