A biography for Luvvie Ajayihasn’t been written yet.
“You can be tweeting strangers and saying, 'Don't say that,' but are you saying that to your friends? How about your mom? Your boyfriend at the dinner table who says something homophobic? If you're not saying the same things in person that you're saying online, then what are your tweets doing?”
“I wasn't the only person out there writing about pop culture and race, but I stayed true to my voice, and people felt attracted to that. They said it felt like they were having brunch with their best friend.”
“Avoidance has never been a great tactic in solving any problem. For most situations in life, not addressing what's going on only makes matters worse.”
“Being quiet is comfortable. Keeping things the way they've been is comfortable. And all comfort has done is maintain the status quo.”
“Telling the truth - telling thoughtful truths - should not be a revolutionary act. Speaking truths to power should not be sacrificial, but they are.”
“Humor is this great equalizer. It gets people's defenses down, and once they're down, you can discuss some really difficult topics.”
“Under promise and over deliver. People will be pleasantly surprised that you gave more than they expected. And remember that there is always room for us to be better and do better. That's what I am calling for. Not just everybody else - myself, too.”
“I have no love for those who consider themselves 'good people' but stand idly by as the world crumbles around them. It's not enough to personally not do damage. If you're present as someone else destroys what's around you and you do nothing, you helped them.”
“A book is not a short-term project. It's essentially your baby, so it takes a lot of work.”
“Fire Yourself. Outsource some of your life. Because you know what won't be cute on a tombstone? 'Her grind was impeccable, and she did it all by herself.'”
“Doubt has purpose sometimes. If we don't think our work is good enough, we strive to do better and be better. Which then makes us better because practice does just that.”
“I want to create a TV show that people will watch and say, 'Hey, I have a favorite character,' or 'Hey, that person reminds me of myself,' or 'Hey, I've made some of those same mistakes, or those are some of the things I've dealt with.'”
“Fear has a very concrete power of keeping us from doing and saying the things that are our purpose.”
“Through my school years, I learned more about slavery, anti-black racism, and oppression in the U.S., and my blackness could no longer be an afterthought. I started wearing it proudly, and as my consciousness deepened, so did my love for black folks.”
“That's one thing brands are understanding is, I'm the blogger who's not writing about fashion. I'm not writing about beauty. I'm not writing about gossip. I'm not writing about politics. I'm writing about all of that. I'm the person they can come to if they just want to reach people who care and have their fingers on pop culture.”
“People are prospering from being unapologetically offensive, trite, and stupid. And we are tweeting ourselves into high blood pressure and ulcers trying to tell them to do better... Being a pompous nut biscuit is now a publicity strategy, and I don't know what we can do to end the madness.”
“Being conscious of Global Blackness is knowing that we are not an island of our struggle but a nation of our triumphs. That's blackness to me.”
“Unless life is one giant rap battle, you don't need to freestyle your way to success.”
“If a brand will shy away from you because you dare to say that black lives matter, that's probably not a brand you want to work with anyway.”
“Being able to live without having to be defined by your skin color is the hallmark of privilege.”