Vanessa

“And in all the stories my daughter shall hear,
it will not be princes that slay the dragons,
but little girls that believe in magic
with big, brave hearts and even bigger dreams.

She will learn to rely on her own sword
in every battle, in every struggle, in every war
because she will learn how to devour
every single monster from their very core.”
― Nikita Gill

“Tell your daughters how you love your body.
Tell them how they must love theirs.

Tell them to be proud of every bit of themselves—
from their tiger stripes to the soft flesh of their thighs,
whether there is a little of them or a lot,
whether freckles cover their face or not,
whether their curves are plentiful or slim,
whether their hair is thick, curly, straight, long or short.

Tell them how they inherited
their ancestors, souls in their smiles,
that their eyes carry countries
that breathed life into history,
that the swing of their hips
does not determine their destiny.

Tell them never to listen when bodies are critiqued.
Tell them every woman’s body is beautiful
because every woman’s soul is unique.”
― Nikita Gill, The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom

“Tattoos, for example, are very hard to forget. I think there's something about the impermanence of life these days that makes it necessary to etch ink into our skins. It reminds us that we've been marked by the world, that we're still alive. That we'll never forget.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Unravel Me

“Some people are born with tornadoes in their lives, but constellations in their eyes. Other people are born with stars at their feet, but their souls are lost at sea.”
― Nikita Gill