Ama Ata Aidoo Quotes

• Time by itself means nothing, no matter how fast it moves, unless we give it something to carry for us; something we value. Because it is such a precious vehicle, is time.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Time, Moving, Mean

  39 Copy quote

• There are powerful forces undermining progress in Africa. But one must never underestimate the power of the people to bring about change.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Powerful, People, Progress

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “Changes: A Love Story”, p.192, The Feminist Press at CUNY

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• For us Africans, literature must serve a purpose: to expose, embarrass, and fight corruption and authoritarianism. It is understandable why the African artist is utilitarian.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Fighting, Artist, Purpose

  84 Copy quote

• Humans, not places, make memories.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Memories, Making Memories, Humans

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• Love is fine for singing about and love songs are good to listen to, sometimes even to dance to. But when we need food for our stomachs and clothes for our backs, love is nothing. Ah my lady, the last man any woman should think of marrying is the man she loves.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Song, Love Is, Men

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “Changes: A Love Story”, p.47, The Feminist Press at CUNY

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• No matter what anybody says, we can't have it all. Not if you are a woman. Not yet.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Matter, No Matter What, Ifs

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “Changes: A Love Story”, p.53, The Feminist Press at CUNY

  24 Copy quote

• the best way to sharpen a knife is not to whet one side of it only. And neither can you solve a riddle by considering only one end of it.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Knives, Way, Sides

  Ama Ata Aidoo (1987). “The dilemma of a ghost ; Anowa: two plays”, Prentice Hall

  23 Copy quote

• People are worms, and even the God who created them is immensely bored with their antics.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  People, Bored, Worms

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “No Sweetness Here and Other Stories”, p.96, The Feminist Press at CUNY

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• money-making is like a god possessing a priest. He never will leave you, until he has occupied you, wholly changed the order of your being, and seared you through and up and down. Then only would he eventually leave you, but nothing of you except an exhausted wreck, lying prone and wondering who are you.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Lying, Order, Wrecks

  Ama Ata Aidoo (1987). “The Dilemma of a Ghost ; Anowa: Two Plays”, Prentice Hall

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• Politicians are easy to attack, but frankly, we are all guilty of not meeting the needs of Africa's young people properly.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  People, Needs, Guilty

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• Sometimes a word or an argument will trigger a poem.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Argument, Sometimes, Triggers

  Source: girdblog.com

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• Once in a while I catch myself wondering whether I would have found the courage to write if I had not started to write when I was too young to know what was good for me.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Writing, Wonder, Found

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “Changes: A Love Story”, p.168, The Feminist Press at CUNY

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• O yes, everyone gets lonely some time or other. After all, if we look closer into ourselves, shall we not admit that the warmth from other people comes so sweet to us when it comes, because, we always carry with us the knowledge of the cold loneliness of death?

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Lonely, Sweet, Loneliness

  11 Copy quote

• Things are working out... towards their dazzling conclusions.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Work Out, Conclusion, Dazzling

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• They had always told me that I wrote like a man.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Men

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• Toyin Falola has given us what is truly rare in modern African writing: a seriously funny, racy, irreverent package of memories, and full of the most wonderful pieces of poetry and ordinary information. It is a matter of some interest, that the only other volume A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt reminds one of is Ake, by Wole Soyinka. What is it about these Yorubas?

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Memories, Writing, Ordinary

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• Its a sad moment, really, when parents first become a bit frightened of their children.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Children, Parent, Firsts

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• Once an interesting idea or theme occurs to me then I would want to write a poem about it. The rest, frankly, is not difficult.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Writing, Ideas, Interesting

  Source: girdblog.com

  9 Copy quote

• Ghana is like a lion without a head

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Ghana, Lions

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• The very old certainly do not go back on lunch remains but they do bite back at old conversational topics.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Lunch, Topics, Remains

  Ama Ata Aidoo (2015). “No Sweetness Here and Other Stories”, p.57, The Feminist Press at CUNY

  9 Copy quote

• I've written poems about gifts. Life is inspirational; sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Sometimes, Life Is, Unlikely

  Source: girdblog.com

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• At the age of 15, a teacher had asked me what I wanted to do for a career, and without knowing why or even how I replied that I wanted to be a poet.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Teacher, Careers, Knowing

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• Soyinka's Death at Dawn, Auden's Musée des Beaux Arts, Stevie Smith's Not Waving but Drowning and Wislawa Szymborska's Some People come to mind immediately. But there are plenty, plenty more that I enjoy.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Art, People, Mind

  Source: girdblog.com

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• I always wanted to write poetry, even when I was very young.

  Ama Ata Aidoo

  Writing, Young, Wanted

  Source: girdblog.com

  4 Copy quote

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