Staceyann Chin > Quotes

“Every day I get better at knowing that it is not a choice to be an activist; rather, it is the only way to hold on to the better parts of my human self. It is the only way I can live and laugh without guilt.”
― Staceyann Chin

“I'm a woman. That means I break hard. And mend like a motherfucker; all sexy and full of heartbreakingly beautiful scars.”
― Staceyann Chin

“Miles of junk to throw out -- how do you decide what to keep when everything is sentiment.”
― Staceyann Chin

“She makes Jamaica seem like paradise. Sometimes I read a line and I just feel so lucky to be Jamaican.” “I don’t know if I feel lucky to be Jamaican, Anna. It really depends on what side of Paradise you’re from.”
― Staceyann Chin, The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir

“mutinous my muscles refuse to move
what good is dancing
when the heart lies still
beneath the earth of things suffered

sometimes survival
is not good enough”
― Staceyann Chin, Crossfire: A Litany for Survival