Jonathan Odell Quotes & Sayings

Exactly what kind of creature is it?" they asked one another. She was too unsightly to be thought of as frolic in bed for the master. She was too far past her childbearing years to multiply the stock. Though she seemed nimble enough, it was hard to imagine her being brought all the way from North Carolina for field work. — Jonathan Odell

When you quilting up a life, you sometimes got to start with any piece you can get your hands on. — Jonathan Odell

That's the way it is with God, don't you reckon? He always around somewheres, if you can see His face or not. He's out there watching through the dark. Sometimes that's got to be enough, I suppose. Knowing He sees us even if we can't see Him back." -- Levi Snow — Jonathan Odell

When God wants to punish us, he gives us just ourselves to care for. — Jonathan Odell

Just remember this, girl, the water you hate is the water that's going to drown you. — Jonathan Odell

No one had ever told her about the ingredients of life, only of biscuits. — Jonathan Odell

Sometiimes when you look at a person all you see is the tangle and you miss the weave — Jonathan Odell

Look up, Granada. Look to your people. We as beautiful and as plentiful as them stars knitted together in heaven. We just forgot. Somebody's got to remember for us all. — Jonathan Odell

Granada had never been on the water before and she marveled at how the creek was a living thing with a will of its own, like an untamed horse challenging her to ride upon its back. — Jonathan Odell

You don't have no idea who you are. And if you don't know who you are," Polly continued, "you can't know nothing about where you beee-long. — Jonathan Odell

Creation is filled with soul-sick folks, colored and white, never knowing where they belong. They tangle everybody else up in their grief. — Jonathan Odell

That place I'm talking about ain't nothing but a bloody slit in this world of His. But everybody wants to rule over it. It ain't for the white man to rule. Ain't for any man to rule. — Jonathan Odell

They all watched silently as she walked toward her cabin, but when she got to the doorway she stopped and turned around. She stood for a moment with her chin lifted and her eyes closed. What on earth was she doing? Granada wondered. — Jonathan Odell

Woman is the way God says yes in this here world. He put the promise on us. The woman carries 'In the beginning' in her body. And every month God will use your blood to wash the moon so the beginning time can begin again. When you get to be a woman you got to carry the promise with respect, and honor all the mothers who passed it down to us. — Jonathan Odell

Calming ain't curing, is it, girl?" the woman asked aloud. "Keeping you hushed might keep me out of jail, but sure as the world, calming ain't curing. — Jonathan Odell

When you got a question," Polly said before Granada could ask, "first be silent. Look around you. Let creation speak the truth to you." She — Jonathan Odell

The old woman crossed over to her. "When I speak of the people," she said barely above a whisper, her voice all weariness and grief, "I ain't just talking about the flesh, the blood. It's their voices. Their yes's and no's. That's what holds muscle to bone. The biggest thing the white man takes from us ain't our bodies. He takes our voices, too. He swallows up our yes's and no's like biscuits. But one day our yes's and no's will be so loud and strong they will lodge in his throat. He will have to spit them out to keep from choking. He will starve. There won't be nothing left of him except the shadows he casts on the deadest night. — Jonathan Odell

You're soul sick is what you are," Polly said. "And you can stomp your little footsie all you want to, but you ain't going to get well until you remember. And you can't remember until you learn to see. — Jonathan Odell

No, now the domestic market is full up with other planters' troublesome slaves. Our only salvation is to scientifically breed a stable order of docile Negro. I've come up with three tenets: Isolation. Religion. Family...." Master Ben — Jonathan Odell

Master says the cholera is not a quality disease. The highborn don't come down with such. — Jonathan Odell

It shames me to admit that in the white-defined society in which I was raised, blacks were considered merely background. This was worse than physical segregation. This was psychological segregation. It wasn't that we were taught not to associate with blacks: close association was unavoidable. Instead, we were taught to see half the population not as individuals but as functionaries - maids, yardmen, etc. — Jonathan Odell

A flapping tongue puts out the light of wisdom."~Polly Shine — Jonathan Odell

Calming ain't curing, is it, girl? — Jonathan Odell

When I look up, there are women as far as I can see, standing in the river one behind the other, generations going back to the beginning time, from the very womb of God. — Jonathan Odell

Sometimes you got to lie on the outside to keep your voice loud on the inside. We don't owe the master the truth. He owes us. Nothing comes from the master. He is the thief in the night. He steals it all. And every time we have to say 'yes sir' and 'no sir,' he steals some more. But we can survive it, if we stay loud in here," she said, throwing a fist hard against her breast. — Jonathan Odell