Jenifer Lewis > Quotes

“And, I want other women to know they can stand up and MUST stand up to your persecutors. Feel the fear, and do it anyway. We are all as sick as our secrets y'all. Remember that sh*t.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I’m just now getting myself together to start living, not just surviving; laughing and not pretending, learning and not running away from my problems. The process is painful.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“JOURNAL ENTRY: Stop waiting for something or someone to come and make you happy. Meditate daily. Breathe. Come on. You’re okay. You have friends. Love them. Respect them. Go out and play. Learn to be alone.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Feel the fear. And, tell the truth to yourself.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“When you’re running, you take yourself with you.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I’ve learned in life that what you give to others is what provides the most value to your life. There I was, a mess myself, yet I still had something to offer that would have an effect on another person’s world.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“A young black man, who I think was a summer intern, approached me in the lobby. Without saying so much as “Excuse me,” he sat down next to me in a huff and growled, “Why do black women get so mad when they see us walking down the street with a white girl?” I slowly turned toward this handsome, ebony boy and said, “Do you really want to know the answer to that question?” He said, “Yeah, I really want to know. I get sick of that shit.” I said, “Well, it might have something to do with this. For decades, black men were lynched, often for allegedly looking at a white woman. Our mothers’ mothers cut the black bodies of their sons and husbands down from the trees. But we black women did something we didn’t have to do before we buried them. First, we washed their bodies.” I let my words sink in and continued. “So, little boy, when you see a black woman walking down the street, you tilt your hat and acknowledge her existence. If only for the fact that first, we washed you. And next time you sit down next to me, you say, ‘Excuse me, Miss Lewis.’ Now get the fuck on where you’re going. I’m studying Brecht, little boy.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“There’s no greater journey than the journey within.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Number one: the elevator to success is broken—take the stairs. Number two: it is when you’re hardest hit that you mustn’t quit. Number three: love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I smiled a bit, thinking how meaningless rejection becomes as the years roll by.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I didn’t have a name for what my condition was until I was thirty-three-years-old. We’re each works-in-progress for as long as we live, and I was no different. When you’re in emotional distress, your life can feel like you’re spiraling up or down at any given moment. If these ups and downs are extreme and chronic, they do damage to your mind, body, and soul, and your relationships with other people, including those who care about you most. Recovery and healing require patience, something that is difficult for many people, and certainly was difficult for someone like me. But, I learned to submit to patience because it was either go step-by-step or die. Having patience means knowing that it is never too late to get well.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I ran and ran and ran. I was unconsciously hiding from the things that hurt me most. Fortunately, I always met myself where I landed.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“I felt sorry for myself. I knew I wasn’t a bad person, but it did not stop me from carrying on and being argumentative. I felt out of control of my behavior or blamed others for my treatment of them. I felt my brain was moving too rapidly and I was constantly chasing after myself. Except for Terry, nobody seemed to be on my side.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Shoulders back, titties first!”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Listen to what the gods have asked you to show up as in this one fantastic life. Just sit down somewhere, be still, and listen.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“was hungry for anything that made sense.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Do your best and leave the rest. I want you to stand up in these streets, resist the forces that will taint this beautiful world, and immerse yourself in the experience, and sing the fuck out of that song in your heart. Be good to your body and your mind. If you need therapy, get it. If appropriately prescribed medication will help you, get the damn medication. Rest when you are tired, eat when you are hungry. Go into everything with an open heart while being smart with how and with whom you share yourself. Above all, remember that we are all human. We will all grow old, we will all feel pain, and hopefully get laid!”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Go beyond yourself and fight for it, damnit. Ain’t nobody promised you a rose garden without painful-ass thorns.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“Nelson Mandela has been cited as saying words that ring true for me: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“Recovery and healing require patience, something that is difficult for many people, and certainly was difficult for someone like me. But, I learned to submit to patience because it was either go step-by-step or die. Having patience means knowing that it is never too late to get well.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“If you can only be tall because somebody is on their knees, then you have a serious problem. And my feeling is that white people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“There's nothing like the bond between women during a crisis. They comforted me and reminded me of my power”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“I was concerned for the children. Witnessing his actions, our children were learning cruelty over kindness. Throughout his candidacy, Orange stood on stages, exaggeratedly grabbing at his fingertips, and preached that he was going to build a wall.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“Really, then let’s go get a cup of coffee, nigga!” I shot back. “Okay,” he said sternly. I, of course, was kidding.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“... my love life in college had a lot of moving parts.”
― Jenifer Lewis, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

“available to them, and in the bathtubs full of lukewarm water.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“I’d broken off my last engagement, to a man named Oliver. Six years prior, I had agreed to marry him. We looked good together on paper. He was a marine war specialist, rough around the edges but not traumatized enough to show his dark side up front. Smart as a whip—a genius, really.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“get to dump all your shit on someone else. Let them deal with it. But if you don’t want to talk to somebody professional yet, I’m here. I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“We turn our backs to therapy. We don’t ask for help when help is the thing we all need. It shouldn’t be that hard to speak with someone who is not sitting in the shit but has a distant view of it and can help you see different avenues for getting out of the shit. Trust me, it’s a complete release.”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

“The day we first made love was the day everything changed for me. One afternoon we snuck up into the bedroom and purposely ran out of conversation. He took his clothes off and stood there, a statue built by the gods. We made unforgettable”
― Jenifer Lewis, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets