During Black History Month, we honor influential Black Americans whose powerful words continue to inspire and guide us.
Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Angela Davis and Henry Louis Gates offer perspectives that shape our understanding of history and encourage progress.
Their quotes remind us that the past influences the future and inspire us to move forward with purpose.
Celebrated in February in the US and Canada, Black History Month highlights the importance of civil rights, equality and the stories of Black history-makers, emphasizing the ongoing fight for racial justice.
This collection of Black Leaders quotes are words of wisdom and wise advice from powerful black people who have made a difference in the world and American culture.
These quotes from black leaders will teach you to be strong, brave and work hard.
If you want to succeed in your life then you must read these quotes.
Best Black Leaders Quotes
Have a vision. Be demanding. ~ Colin Powell.
When they go low, we go high. ~ Michelle Obama.
Truth is powerful and it prevails. ~ Sojourner Truth.
Freedom is never given; it is won. ~ A. Philip Randolph.
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. ~ Frederick Douglass.
You can’t be a hero and a victim at the same time. ~ Derek T. Dingle.
Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined. ~ Toni Morrison.
If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best? ~ Garrett Morgan.
Inspirational Quotes from Black Leaders
The things that make us different, those are our super powers. ~ Lena Waithe.
It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it. ~ Lena Horne.
My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together. ~ Desmond Tutu.
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. ~ Jackie Robinson.
If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go. ~ James Baldwin.
If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to engage the problems. ~ Majora Carter.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ~ Nelson Mandela.
Have a vision of excellence, a dream of success, and work like hell. ~ Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook.
If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. ~ Marcus Garvey.
Famous Quotes from Black Leaders
I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger. ~ Serena Williams.
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. ~ Langston Hughes.
Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you’ll start believing in it. ~ Jesse Owens.
There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints. ~ Rita Dove.
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute. ~ Thurgood Marshall.
I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better. ~ Katherine Johnson.
Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated. ~ Coretta Scott King.
History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own. ~ Michelle Obama.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Inspirational Quotes by Black Leaders
I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. ~ Rosa Parks.
When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held, and valued by all of us. ~ Ava DuVernay.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. ~ Barack Obama.
They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the wayside… I’m going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do. ~ Ella Fitzgerald.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at. ~ Jesse Owens.
Motivational Quotes by Black Leaders
Dedicate yourself to a core set of values. Without them, you will never be able to find personal fulfillment, and you will never be able to lead effectively. ~ Kenneth Chenault.
You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering and often earns you new respect. ~ Rosalind Brewer.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~ Harriet Tubman.
Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us. ~ Wilma Rudolph.
I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. ~ Booker T. Washington.
Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself. ~ Oprah Winfrey.
I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure, but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try. ~ Nikki Giovanni.
You can only become accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you. ~ Maya Angelou.
We will all, at some point, encounter hurdles to gaining access and entry, moving up, and conquering self-doubt, but on the other side is the capacity to own opportunity and tell our own story. ~ Stacey Abrams.
If you wake up deciding what you want to give versus what you’re going to get, you become a more successful person. In other words, if you want to make money, you have to help someone else make money. ~ Russell Simmons.
I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color. ~ Malcolm X.
I hope these black leaders quotes inspired you.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read other popular blog posts on the topics of Quotes about Enemies and Quotes about Books Reading and Self Perception Quotes.