J. California Cooper > Quotes

“Love entered in my heart one day
A sad, unwelcome guest.
But when it begged that it might stay
I let it stay and rest

It broke my nights with sorrowing
It filled my heart with fears
And, when my soul was prone to sing,
It filled my eyes with tears.

But...now that it has gone its way,
I miss the dear ole pain.
And, sometimes, in the night I pray
That Love might come again.”
― J. California Cooper

“I was foolish because I believed in you. You are a fool because you believe in yourself!”
― J. California Cooper, In Search of Satisfaction

“Don’t bury it, use it. Don’t keep it in, give it away. Don’t turn that love in, turn that love out.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories

“There is always some beauty in life. Look up … and get on with it. Build you a rainbow. Do it yourself! If you can’t do that, build your mind near one. Learn how to fly. Then … soar a little.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories

“Sometimes it's a struggle to get over self-love first. Sometimes in this struggle for love, we give up, or lose everything, and we still don't achieve love. Some people don't even recognize real love when it comes without being called or sought.”
― J. California Cooper, Life Is Short But Wide

“Without respect, there is no love … for long, for anyone, but a fool.”
― J. California Cooper, Life is Short But Wide

“This the kind of world, if you don’t die, you just keep on growing up and living through everything that comes.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Soul to Keep

“So everybody who talks about homosexuals as a damnation better look in a mirror and try to heal their own selves. Who they call homosexuals do, at least, act out of their love. That’s better than the hate a whole lot of people act out of.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Soul to Keep

“You got to pay your dues, too. So you be careful how you live and what goes in that Bank of Life. You are going to get it back … someday. I can sure tell you that!”
― J. California Cooper

“Superior, do you understand me? These are white people. They are not like you, or me or us. They have the power to hurt you ... and sometimes it's fun to them when they do. Their power is not because they are smart ... it's because ... something happened sometime ... started somewhere and they got on top of the world. They got the power. The only power you got is to learn to live with them, learn to read their minds ... til you can do better. They don't treat each other right ... so don't you look to be treated right. You hear me? Sometimes there's good white people ... but don't you act like that til you know that.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Soul to Keep

“See, once a person see what you will do if they don’t, they let you keep on doin it! All of it! If you let them!”
― J. California Cooper, Some Soul to Keep

“My life had been peaceful, safe, quiet and restful. I had done invited trouble in and I had done put trouble out.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories

“I decided then that love love better be watched closely. So I did just that. Watched to see how everybody did their loving. I have been doing it now all my life, and all I can tell you . . . it is a lesson and a education to watch the way different people love, or don't love, other people.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Soul To Keep

“A person can't tell another person what to put between them and their God.”
― J. California Cooper, Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns

“Cause all these people livin are brothers and sisters and cousins. All these beautiful different colors! We! … We the human Family. God said so! FAMILY!”
― J. California Cooper, Family

“You know, you don't have to be white to be president of anything. Even of the United States. I could be president! Black as I am! And if you white and poor, you don't have to be rich to get to be president either.”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“Only a fool asks for happiness in this foolish, worn world. We are . . . content . . . together. That is enough for a while.”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“Life is short, especially if you are happy. And life is wide; especially if you are old, and still have a chance for happiness. But, you have to watch life as you live it, because life is always deep.”
― J. California Cooper, Life is Short But Wide

“My mother had nine more children for the Master of the Land, but they was all sold when they got to be bout three years old by the Mistress of the Land cause they was too white and lookin like the Master of the Land. That, and the money.”
― J. California Cooper, Family

“Chile, ain't life somethin?! Lord, oh, lord.”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“Life is not perfect … for anyone. But love makes such a difference in life that sometimes it is the only thing that seems important. It makes life livable.”
― J. California Cooper, Life is Short But Wide

“Then she said, "Life sure give a body plenty to think about in this world."

I said, "Life give your brain plenty to think bout in this world. It's Love what give your body plenty to think bout.”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“Just got to go make do with what you got give to you when you born.

Look like some people get so much more than others. Even get some money, which this huge world loves. But . . . I have seen sometime, in this world we live in, that most things balance out, equalize out, in the end. Yes, in the end. Cause some people take nothing and make a whole heap out of it. Just like some people take everything, another whole heap, and let it run down to nothing. Human, chile, human.”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“But people can take your truth and stretch it, twist it, tear it apart, turn it inside out and when you get it back, you are making enemies and when you try and straighten it out, you talk a whole lot more and give the people new ammunition to shoot back at you and then you have made more enemies!”
― J. California Cooper, A Piece of Mine: Stories

“Don't you make the mistake that men will not let anything go for a beautiful thing to look at. In the morning, the evening, especially the night. Men are fools. Good grand fools. Don't let me mislead you, they are alright. Are they not rich sometimes? I still believe the world belongs to a woman, but only because it belongs to men and they give it to her!”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“Always sighed deep. “Don’t talk to your mama like that son. I … I could call you them same names … but I ain’t.”
― J. California Cooper, Family

“assifidity”
― J. California Cooper, Life is Short But Wide

“The devil is the busiest thing I know.”
― J. California Cooper, Family

“My brother was always lookin for a "good" girl. He sure was a fool. What you gonna do with a good girl?”
― J. California Cooper, The Matter Is Life

“It was THAT day the Master of the Land said my mama was goin to go for to be his son’s night-mate too, smilin down at her like he was doin her some special kinda good favor.”
― J. California Cooper, Family