Nnedi Okorafor quotes

Is it not the worst pain to know there is a cure for your child's illness and then not be able to obtain it? Oh it must be the one of the worst types of pain in the world. (Nnedi Okorafor)
The theme of choice and the power of culture pops up in my stories often. Before Binti, the biggest example of this is in Who Fears Death when Onyesonwu must face the decision of whether or not to go through a ceremony that required cutting off her clitoris. To many readers, the fact that she even has to think about whether or not to do this is shocking. It's not shocking to me at all, coming from the culture that I come from where the individual is often secondary to the community... View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
I believe aliens have definitely been here. I don't think the theory that they have affected, interacted with, exchanged with the people of Earth (human and otherwise) in the past takes away from the accomplishments or innovations of anyone. I think the general belief that certain peoples are less than other peoples is what does that... View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
I love ocean life. I'm fascinated that so much of it remains unexplored by human beings. Diluted seawater consisted of nearly the same concentration of elements and minerals as blood plasma. They've got the same amount of sodium, too. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
I see the world as a magical place. Therefore, it was only natural that magic wafted from my fiction like smoke. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
It's more fun to write villains. They are more of a challenge, and I get a sick kind of pleasure out of delving into their minds. There's rarely emptiness, and there is almost always deep intelligence. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
I go to the ocean to calm down, to reconnect with the creator, to just be happy. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
'Who Fears Death' addresses the push and pull in African culture that powerful women face when their culture has certain duties and beliefs that can stifle them. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
People treat it with more respect than they treat any police officer. Maybe because the robot is polite, helpful and never asks for bribes. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Science fiction is the only genre that enables African writers to envision a future from our African perspective. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
It's ok to care about what other people think, but you should give a little more weight to what you, yourself, think...The habit of thinking is the habit of gaining strength. You're stronger than you believe. (Nnedi Okorafor)
You are not crazy. You are just ready to change. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Though I knew I shouldn't have cared, the words still hurt like pinches, and pinches can be very painful when done in the same place many times in a row. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Silence is the best answer to a fool. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
We cried and sobbed and wept and bled tears. But when we were finished, all we could do was continue living. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Funny how all things people don't understand seem to be ‘cursed'. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
All through the night, she battled herself. Or battled to know herself. She fell apart and then put herself back together and then she fell apart again and put herself back together, over and over. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Use your powers for good instead of evil. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
"In that time I was able to experiment - try things, see what worked, see what didn't - without someone looking over my shoulder, like ‘Oh my God, that really is terrible!"... View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
Are you willing to allow other the same right to their beliefs?” "If their beliefs don't hurt others and, when I feel the need, I am allowed to call them stupid in my mind, then yes. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor
There is nothing that a man must believe that can't be seen or touched or sensed. (Nnedi Okorafor)
Just because something is not alive, does not mean that it is dead. You have to be alive first to be dead. View quote
Nnedi Okorafor