Luvvie Ajayi

“Sticking with your craft goes a long way in ensuring that you'll be successful.”

“The assumption that women in hijab are less enlightened or empowered than those rocking daisy dukes is arrogant at best. Feminism should fight for all women to have he right to live as they choose, not for all women to live the same exact lives like we're all in some sort of Sims game.”

“People need to seek out some diversity in their life. One of my friends is a pig farmer in Michigan, and even she has black friends. She's in the middle of nowhere - the closest airport is, like, three hours away - and she manages to connect with black people.”

“Chicago's one of the most segregated cities in America. Everybody lives in their own silos and vacuums.”

“I could write a whole other book called 'I'm Judging You, America!' I still might.”

“I've reached the point where people text me randomly for favors, like, 'Hey can I pick your brain?' People I haven't talked to in years are asking for favors. It's like, 'Wow people really got some nerve.'”

“I think that if everybody committed themselves to making a better world than how we found it, things would be much better than what they are.”

“'Imposter Syndrome' is the feeling of wearing a mask and playing a role that one does not feel at home in. It is when you feel like you or your work is a fluke and that you're a dwarf amongst giants. Many of us have this, especially when we're in some sort of creative industry.”

“It took me a while to affirm the fact that I'm actually a really good writer. I couldn't even call myself a writer with a straight face because I didn't take my gift seriously.”

“Toddlers are couthless. Lord. They are so couth-deficient. They'll tell you, 'Those shoes look like my nightmares' without a second thought because your feelings don't matter to them.”

“Being a 'good man' is something you do, not something you are.”

“I need to sleep more. The 'sleep when I die' mantra is not cute.”

“Find me someone who is Nigerian who is always on time for things that aren't work-related, and I will find you a Tyrese quote that makes perfect sense. They might exist, but they sure are rare.”

“When I set out to write 'I'm Judging You,' I wanted to create something that was both timely and timeless. But I didn't know how timely this book would be until we, the people of the United States, elected a walking Cheeto to the highest office in the land on November 8, 2016.”

“In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell.”

“People love my voice because they say I say what they were thinking but dare not to say because they had a filter or a job.”

“As a freelancer, as a writer, and running my company, people have always tried to negotiate me down. Some might think that I might accept their offers because they think I don't have many options. The truth is, I always have options available to me.”

“There are two types of people in this world: people who can be on time and Nigerians. I am in the latter group, and I confess to my inability to arrive anywhere punctually.”

“In my workshops for young adults, the most important thing I emphasize is that anything posted online, no matter how private they think it is, is permanent.”

“Good friends are often our lifelines. Mine have seen me through heartbreak, through the deaths of loved ones, and through that phase in college when I was obsessed with denim jumpsuits and matching fingerless gloves.”