“The path of the One is made by many.” —The Oracle, The Matrix films
Be it a social media post, an academic essay, a news article, or a novella, many of my readers know that I am very prone to include profound quotes in my work. A number of those quotes have guided me and shaped me on my journey. The sources range from the Bible, activists, media, philosophers, artists, historical figures, loved ones, a few of my personal patronuses.
Adhering to my E-Cubed Directive, whenever I create, I do so with the intention to entertain, enlighten and empower others.
So the following are a few of my all-time favorite quotes along with portraits and other visuals that encapsulate a portion of my evolution and journey to date.
Hopefully they’ll bless you as much as they did me.
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” —Marcus Aurelius
“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do if you do not act upon them?” —Buddha
Matthew: 4:7- “Jesus said unto to him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God.”
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” —Confucius
Ezekiel 25:17- “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.”
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you. Seek nothing to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within Everything exists. Outside of yourself.” —Miyamoto Musashi
“We talk about self-love as if it’s something easy to attain. Read a motivational quote, post a fierce selfie, dismiss anyone who treats you less than you deserve & indulge yourself in life’s little wonders. Do all that and you’ll be basking in self-love, right?
As I’ve taken this journey to come to terms with myself throughout the last a few years, I have learnt that loving myself isn’t something that happens overnight, nor something that is always consistent.
At best, I find myself enjoying certain parts of myself, while being frustrated with others. Never really enjoying the whole. Always trying to one up myself. Wanting to better myself. Maintaining the expectations I’ve set for myself, all while trying to uphold the ones enforced upon me. I am constantly battling to create a perfect pendulum of balance. And in always trying to do better and plan ahead, I forget that the core of self-love is being able to appreciate that I grow from my actions, the good & especially the bad.
Self-love doesn’t come easy.
It requires dedication, patience & thought. Self-analysis & self-criticism. To push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. It requires us to show up each day and do so authentically. But most of all, it requires us to be forgiving of ourselves & to have compassion for our short-comings. And on a day that’s based on showing love, I hope that we all get a little closer to that, so that we’re a little closer to receiving the same acceptance & kindness from others.” —Nabila Farhat
“The best ambassador is a warship.” —Michelle J. Howard
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” —Sun Tzu
“I don’t favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I’m also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are Black people.” —Malcolm X
“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember about me.” —Al Capone
“The difference between Denny and Midnighter is that Midnighter has actually run through every battle scenario in his head. Denny? He’s actually fought every battle scenario.” —Paul Pogue
“Ya can’t reason with evil. Evil wants what it wants and won’t stop until it’s won or ya kill it. The way to kill it is to be meaner than evil.” —John Dutton, Yellowstone
“So many “allies” are passive aggressive abusers. Sweetness and light till you disagree or point out that something they did is problematic. Then it’s “We’re on the same side” and “you’ll end up driving away people who would help your cause.” Or they trot out their service record and their relationships/associations with PoC. Always, they act like you are being unreasonable for not letting them skate with whatever. Classic abuse logic and language with only minor tweaks: “Where you gon go? Nobody cares about you but me. If you don’t do things my way you’ll suffer and have only yourself to blame. Look at all the nice things I do for you, and look how ungrateful you are.” This is not the thought process of an ally or of a decent person. If you think what you did yesterday can excuse your fucking up today you have lost your mind and you need to get from around me.” —Anansi Kassandrides
Matthew 7: 15- 20- “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men father grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
“Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Anyone can do a trick. Willing to do something no one else can is what makes you a magician.” —Sleight
“If you don’t stick to your values when they are being tested, they’re not values, they’re hobbies.” —Jon Stewart
“Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.” —Janelle Monae
“Conservatism always needs an enemy to organize around and divert their adherents’ attention from the failures of their political philosophy.” —Monica Roberts
“There is no weapon more deadly than the will.” —Bruce Lee
“Google Is Your Sister In Christ.” —Kiyra Holt
“Look, I don’t believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws, you change allocation of resources, you change the way systems operate. You’re not gonna change every heart. You’re not. But at the end of the day we can do a whole lot to change some hearts and change some systems and create more opportunities for people who deserve to have them to live up to their own God-given potential … You can keep the movement going, which you have started, and through it you may actually change some hearts. But if that’s all that happens, we’ll be back here in 10 years having the same conversation.” —Hillary Clinton
“True power is not about dominating the weak. True power is inspiring the strong to your will.” —Robert Herjavec
“To know one’s self is to truly become a Master of the Universe.” —The Sorceress, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
“Do without before you borrow, and give it away before you lend it.” —Mona Symone
“Once in a while, life gives you a chance to measure your worth. Sometimes you’re called upon to make a split-second decision to do the right thing, defining which way your life will go. These are the decisions that make you who you are.” ― Perry Moore
“Sometimes it’s the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” —Alan Turing
“It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.” ― Nina Simone
“When things are at their worst, we’re at our best.” —The Pogue Family Creed
“Don’t call up what you can’t put down.” – Tamar Denny
“That look. 15 years old and you already had that look on your face right there. Already learned to live alone look. It’s strength like that, well, can prohibit other things. Friendship and joy. They become elusive. I’m old, I can talk.”
—Reggie, AMC’s The Killing S01E06.
“Compromise where you can. And where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, no. You move.” —Margaret Carter
“The final score can’t be rigged. I don’t care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here’s the thing — you never know when you’re taking it. It could be when you’re duking it out with the Legion of Doom, or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you — the world in the balance — ’cause you never know when it is.” — Charles Gunn
“A King cannot be like an ordinary person. Must not behave or have feelings like an ordinary person. A King must be prepared to do the most terrible things. Things against all conscience if he wants to survive.” —Vikings
“I believe that magic is art, and that art, whether that be music, writing, sculpture, or any other form, is literally magic. Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words or images, to achieve changes in consciousness… Indeed to cast a spell is simply to spell, to manipulate words, to change people’s consciousness, and this is why I believe that an artist or writer is the closest thing in the contemporary world to a shaman.” —Alan Moore
“Once you show that you want to learn, it helps open a door and begin a conversation.” —Gina Torres
“A god(dess) born to rule. True, witchling. But the key to what I was and am and shall ever strive to be is knowledge and mastery of self. My strength, my will, my soul, forever, my own.” —Ororo Munroe
“The pen is mightier than the sword and sometimes even the cape.” —Supergirl
“Be their hero, [Denny]. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be… or be none of it. You don’t owe this world a thing. You never did.” —Batman v Superman
“We both write Denny. We understand the magic of words, the power of them. Life and death is in words. We also understand the naming of a thing can shape perception. When words are used or misused a narrative is formed. When you join truth to words and properly name a thing, the thought, idea or concept is laid bare, all can see it for what it is. That’s why it is vitally important to call things what they truly are. No coding, no dog whistle terms. When ugly nasty dangerous murderous viewpoints are held. Call those sons of bitches what they really are. Call Racist, Racist. Call hate-mongers what they are. Don’t soften the blow for these bastards, they aren’t pulling their punches for us, so let’s extend the same fucking courtesy.” —Sheila A. White
“Sometimes chaos must be created to restore order.” —Will Adams
“Not everyone will like me. But there will be those who will accept me just for what I am. I will develop myself to such a point of excellence, intelligence and brilliance that I can see through any problem and deal with any crisis. I will become such a master of my own abilities and career that there will be a place for me. People of all races will need me and not be able to do without me.”
—Mr. Spock/Leonard Nimoy
DENNIS R. UPKINS 