Quotes from Luvvie Ajayi

A book is not a short-term project. It's essentially your baby, so it takes a lot of work.

Putting out a book is absolutely a lesson in vulnerability because it doesn't matter how much of an audience you have. Some people who have giant audiences can't sell books because those audiences don't feel like they need to give them their money.

Never underestimate the power of confidence. If you believe you're the dopest thing walking, you might convince people of the same just because you're so headstrong about it as a fact.

I am not the best. I don't have to be. I am enough.

Good friends are often our lifelines. Mine have seen me through heartbreak, through the deaths of loved ones, and through that phase in college when I was obsessed with denim jumpsuits and matching fingerless gloves.

People need to seek out some diversity in their life. One of my friends is a pig farmer in Michigan, and even she has black friends. She's in the middle of nowhere - the closest airport is, like, three hours away - and she manages to connect with black people.

Chicago's one of the most segregated cities in America. Everybody lives in their own silos and vacuums.

I think that if everybody committed themselves to making a better world than how we found it, things would be much better than what they are.

'Imposter Syndrome' is the feeling of wearing a mask and playing a role that one does not feel at home in. It is when you feel like you or your work is a fluke and that you're a dwarf amongst giants. Many of us have this, especially when we're in some sort of creative industry.

That's one thing brands are understanding is, I'm the blogger who's not writing about fashion. I'm not writing about beauty. I'm not writing about gossip. I'm not writing about politics. I'm writing about all of that. I'm the person they can come to if they just want to reach people who care and have their fingers on pop culture.

I need to sleep more. The 'sleep when I die' mantra is not cute.

I have no love for those who consider themselves 'good people' but stand idly by as the world crumbles around them. It's not enough to personally not do damage. If you're present as someone else destroys what's around you and you do nothing, you helped them.

People love my voice because they say I say what they were thinking but dare not to say because they had a filter or a job.

The most glaring aspect of white privilege is that when someone is described neutrally - without indicating color or ethnicity - more often than not, people will assume that the person is white. That assumption indicates an uncomfortable truth: in our society, whiteness determines humanity.

What I sacrificed as I pursued my dreams was my comfort, not the lives of other people who looked to me to stay afloat. That alone freed me to take more risks, which did pay off in dividends. Having a safety net is an asset that most people do not have.

It took me a while to affirm the fact that I'm actually a really good writer. I couldn't even call myself a writer with a straight face because I didn't take my gift seriously.

Unless life is one giant rap battle, you don't need to freestyle your way to success.

Find me someone who is Nigerian who is always on time for things that aren't work-related, and I will find you a Tyrese quote that makes perfect sense. They might exist, but they sure are rare.

People use the guise of art, and artistic expression, to do all kinds of hateful things. It's like Trump and everybody else using the guise of humor to say hateful things, the excuse being, 'I was just being funny.'

I am a firm believe in the power of dreams, because the world is basically one giant realization of people's collective dreams come true. We need to dream to aspire to do something that keeps us striving. But those dreams and ideas and wants mean nothing without execution, which doesn't usually happen without a plan.

When I set out to write 'I'm Judging You,' I wanted to create something that was both timely and timeless. But I didn't know how timely this book would be until we, the people of the United States, elected a walking Cheeto to the highest office in the land on November 8, 2016.

Toddlers are couthless. Lord. They are so couth-deficient. They'll tell you, 'Those shoes look like my nightmares' without a second thought because your feelings don't matter to them.

Avoidance has never been a great tactic in solving any problem. For most situations in life, not addressing what's going on only makes matters worse.

Fire Yourself. Outsource some of your life. Because you know what won't be cute on a tombstone? 'Her grind was impeccable, and she did it all by herself.'