Thema Bryant-Davis > Quotes

“I hope you find someone who speaks your language so you don't have to spend a lifetime translating your spirit.

(4/3/2018 on Twitter)”
― Thema Bryant

“Perfectionism can also emerge from the need to be independent very early in our lives because our parents may have struggled financially, physically, or emotionally.”
― Thema Bryant, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

“the ways you have learned to survive may not be the ways you wish to continue to live”
― Thema Bryant

“The intersection of multiple forms of oppression complicates the experience of trauma and the trauma recovery process (Holzman, 1996).”
― Thema Bryant-Davis, Thriving in the Wake of Trauma: A Multicultural Guide

“Next, figure out who your allies and advocates are on the job, those people you connect with, respect, and value. When things are out of order at work, it helps to at least have someone you can catch eyes with, someone who cares about you and can acknowledge the chaos, even if everyone else has adjusted to it. These people can also be a reality check for you because they know the others involved. Sometimes it is challenging to convey the dynamics to someone who has never been in that specific situation. If you have a friend or someone willing to advocate for you at your workplace, it can make a world of difference. That person can also give you helpful suggestions based on their observations and experiences in the same place. You can work together to stabilize, support, and invigorate each other.”
― Thema Bryant, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

“Audre Lorde taught us, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
― Thema Bryant, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

“Howard Thurman, a great African American theologian, once wrote, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
― Thema Bryant, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

“I wrote this book for all of you who at different points in your life have found yourself living like someone you are not. You may have started acting different because of how you were treated, or what other people told you about yourself, or how you saw others acting. You have not felt comfortable or safe enough to truly be yourself or to feel at home in your identity. The recognized and unrecognized traumas of your past may have taught you to hide your gifts and voice in order to survive. This book facilitates your journey back to who you really are, so you can own your full identity and fly.”
― Thema Bryant, Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self

“Single gifted people will never understand multi-gifted people. To them, you will always look scattered, because that's why they want you to choose. Like, what are you? Because it defies their box. I thought you do yoga, so what are you doing over here? Who told you that you could come out of that box? I do it all. I do all these things, all of the things in me. So, I think it's also giving each other permission and celebrating cutting up the box. It's also about when we respond to each other, not responding out of our fears, because I think when people are trying to discourage us, it's based on their fear that that's impossible, right? That you're going to get hurt; you're going to get disappointed, so let me tell you now to play it safe and just enjoy what you have.”
― Thema Bryant-Davis

“Single gifted people will never understand multi-gifted people. To them, you will always look scattered, because that's why they want you to choose. Like, what are you? Because it defies their box. I thought you do yoga, so what are you doing over here? Who told you that you could come out of that box? I do it all. I do all these things, all of the things in me. So, I think it's about giving each other permission and celebrating cutting up the box. It's also about when we respond to each other, not responding out of their fears, because I think when people are trying to discourage us, it's based on their fear that that's impossible, right? That you're going to get hurt; you're going to get disappointed, so let me tell you now to play it safe and just enjoy what you have.”
― Thema Bryant-Davis

“Single gifted people will never understand multi-gifted people. To them, you will always look scattered, because that's why they want you to choose. Like, what are you? Because it defies their box. I thought you do yoga, so what are you doing over here? Who told you you could come out of that box? I do it all. I do all these things, all of the things in me. So, think it's about giving each other permission and celebrating cutting up the box. It's also about when we respond to each other, not responding out of their fears, because I think when people are trying to discourage us, it's based on their fear that that's impossible, right? That you're going to get hurt; you're going to get disappointed, so just enjoy what you have.”
― Thema Bryant-Davis