"It is a man’s world in business, in science, in construction, in art; in virtually every industry out there, it is a man’s world. You will face more challenges than they will, but that won’t stop you"

"You can decide to either sit back and loath in fear or to try and try and try and try, until you succeed"

"Your God-given talent is now your vocation; your peers too, finally see it as a viable career"

"The people that will criticize you will be there to show you who you are by your reaction, not by their words. You don’t owe anyone an explanation"

"Why are you underdressed?” “Why are you overdressed?” “Why are you too tough?”…“You really don’t have to do all of this for the attention of men, you know” You will feel hurt when you hear these comments, but remember to breathe. Life is always going to test you. When someone comes to you with criticism, neither fair, nor kind, and you gain nothing from it, let it go!"

"Remember that pain must come into your life to do a work, when the work is done, the pain will leave you"

"Your core is strong. You know who you are and what you are capable of. You know the strengths and qualities God gave you."

"When I see you, I see the young woman who puts herself out there but constantly spends time in a room called ‘no."

"She will receive no, after no, after no, after no. She will feel disappointed and she will feel like everybody has let her down"

"Take heart, because she will also receive some big yesses"

"Make a promise to never give up on yourself – after all, you are not doing it for their approval"

"I will not coat my words in lumps of sugar I will serve them to our people with the bitter quinine."

"The crime is how we deliberately keep out of touch, Pretending it has nothing to do with us... How familiar the metaphors, we think, suspecting our House servants of having killed & eaten our pet cats! At the University, expatriate lecturers gesticulate, Finger the leaves of Marx to a batch of yawning students, Nervously trying to define something or other... Colonies of storks in flamboyant trees look down on The valley dust and the last of the sweet bananas."

"My poetry is exacting a confession from me: I will not keep the truth from my song and the heartstringed instrument."