Gonsalves Quotes & Sayings

Don't break a neck looking up for God. Try looking down at inspiring human deeds. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Did you ever ask yourself if each one of us pursued a high educational degree, who would do the skilled manual work? Craftsmanship may not earn us the money we want but that does not mean we should scorn on anyone doing it. We are obliged to be respectful and grateful to anyone using their hands to clean our households, trim our hedges,carpentry our furniture, farm our food, crafts the objects we collect and gift, style our hairs, etc. Next time you encounter a crafts person acknowledge their manual competence. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I do not condemn either the rich or the poor, but the consequences of these two. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I love your inside,
complimenting your outside,
a wonderful fusion,
that makes you so irresistible. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

My lips swelled with red freshness, my chest heaved proudly with a pair of pointed African drums, my face tempted with its sweetness like Kilimanjaro waters and my height spoke a language only a Maasai warrior knew. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The demons you need to get rid of are inside. But they seem out there because you left the window open. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Praise your God in a silent and humbly manner instead of rubbing his back with loud praises while silently committing horrendous acts. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Readers should be open-minded to read anything they fancy regardless of the source. That way we can rid off the writing stereotyped by race or gender. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

A mother has two hands but performs jobs of many arms. You will never be able to do the impossible until you realise what your mother did. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Nobody is qualified enough to give advise on intimate relationships other than those sleeping with it. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

You may not possess a body that everyone want to admire.
You may not possess wealth that everyone want to have.
However you should possess a character that will make you worthy to love. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Those trying moments teach us to desire greatness in ourselves and wider humanity. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Dear teachers, please make reading and writing fun. Reading and writing shouldn't be a punishment while in school. I ask you to create and teach two electives: "Reading for Pleasure" and "Writing for Pleasure". — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Life at home is at a pace which allows you to appreciate what it has to offer. Simultaneously you get a chance to reflect on what you wish from it. Our development also goes at the same pace, which is not something that everyone appreciates. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Do not fear to find yourself among strangers. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The man upstairs can take it when we are mad. Swear all you want he can handle it. But do not remember God or whatever almighty force you believe in just when things go wrong. I am sure he would want to know it too when you are happy. The same goes for your friends. Don't dump on them just bad stuff but also share your happiness with them too. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Behold your nakedness as a precious stone, which not every miner is able to dig it out. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

A badly written novel can always be shortened to a poem. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

A foolish mind would not raise an eyebrow when things are done diff erently in a foreign culture. An educated mind would try to understand the meaning of it all. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Gentlemen, like a bee do not give up to work that nectar in the soul of your queen until she has enough sweetness to be shared by both of you. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Be a flower that bursts through the crack of cement. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

No matter what justification you have for your feelings, you cannot wish harmful things on others. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

To inspire is revealing the unpolished bits before perfection. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Take, this day, my hand
and promise to absolve
what my forefathers and I did
to you and your kin. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

One should use well a mouth for someone will remember your words and the manner they were spoken. One should pose well in a body for someone will remember your image and how you carried it. One should serve well for someone will recall the kindness and spread it among humanity. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Nobody is perfect. We all want to be loved just like anyone else. It is not wrong to keep faith on someone whose life is not according to our standards. The faith we hold on them is called loving by example. The love we give can be in different forms. Yours might be a distant one, mine might be a close one. Together, we still keep the love. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Love me until Venus gasps with envy.
Love me again until Eros swears celibacy. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I see no difference between a genius and a loony, they both speak a language that I find strange. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The mind is your guard, the heart is your maid and the soul is your territory. Nobody else but you should have the control of these. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Writing is a gift I am grateful for. So I use it, give it, but not always I get it right. In not getting it right, I will be content to know that I failed right by not wasting that gift. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

She refuses to support the slogan - Men are equal to women - if this translates to her femininity being faded out or confused by trying to please a selfish idea of anyone wanting a woman to be both herself and a man. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Home is where the heart unveils. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

May the economic discrimination you impose on your own people bloat your mind. That polluted rubbish occupying
your mind-set needs to be swept clean. May the disgusted look you impose on those you judge poor burn your eyes.
That evil look occupying your clear vision needs to land in the bin. May that shameful attitude you impose on those you wish to feel lesser bring your soul to restlessness. That fake character you display needs to be thrown out of the window. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

To eat Ugali is an art of adventure in itself. Forget cutlery because all you need is your lovely fingers. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Poetry rhymes, a song our souls need to nourish upon. Poetry is a drum, a sound our bodies wish to have. Poetry is organized, a reading our eyes wish to view. Poetry is refined, a structure our moral selves seek. Poetry is civil, instigating the world to remain sane. Poetry is not ordinary, but it needs the ordinary eyes to continue to be the interesting art form of expression. Poetry is like a child communicating, who later grows to be an adult communicating in prose. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

There is a pleasure a bee takes in collecting nectar and piling it into a hive. It knows well that the chores involved in such a task will yield sweet results. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Nothing that the Creator gave is of unworthiness. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Blessings will never cease to shower upon those who mind their own life with humility of accepting mistakes versus those who find joy in judging others to divert attention from their miserable lives. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Many years ago, I left my home country very narrow minded. Today I return with an educated mind, able to understand why my culture is as it is and still be very proud of it. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

My thick and full lips shall pout their African ancestry until all sorrows are kissed out of me. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Right now in this world, a child is dying from an ailment because its family cannot afford to buy charcoal for boiling water.
Right now in this world, a girl is striving to find firewood from trees that no more exist, and water from sources that are poisonous.
Right now in this world, a boy is out fishing in a lake rich with inedible species.
Right now in this world, a mother is drowning in heavy rainfall, to save her belongings.
Right now in this world, a man has lost his dignity because all his eff orts to save have been wiped away to poverty by unforeseen calamities.
Right now in this world, a family is starving because drought has invaded their once fertile land.
Right now in this world, a nation is planning for refugee status due to adverse climate conditions.
Right now in this world, you have a choice to help alleviate environmental problems caused by humankind. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Judge your life using your own blessings and not others. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Sometimes this sentence "I am praying for you" can be so dishonest and lowering that there are occasions I have looked up in heaven and asked God, "please don't accept that prayer". — Gloria D. Gonsalves

You can choose to create a drama and get what you acted for or remain silent and get what you planned for. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Writing as a creative art flourishes only when there are no rules. Rules stifle you from entering the silent and forbidden spaces where the core of the story is waiting to be revealed. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Poetry is not for poets, poetry lovers or perceived poetic persons only.
Poetry is in yourself, others and everything of nature and man-made.
Poetry may not be a solution, yet it can reveal or ease challenges faced.
Poetry is capable of affecting any heart. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I am also open minded to embrace strange notions and respect its bearers without harsh judgement. Exposure has made me feel confident and wiser to choose what feels right for me, in order to be the best human being for myself and others. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Why dwell on yesterday's pee when you can make a fresh one today? — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Anyone capable of training the heart is a walking zombie. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

To get pure love one has to distil the heart. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

In the noise and freak-outs, let's strive to see the deafened sound of light. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Never let ideas of love make you forget to stand on your own feet. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The moans made with pleasure during love making become much louder with displeasure during separation. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Gender is not only women and sexual orientation has multiple choices. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Creativity occurs in introverted space. Instead of considering those who seek solitude as anti-social, weird and non-team players, let's learn to respect this gift which allows us to have a self worthy of sharing. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The moment of honouring our humanity is now. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I had rather be a mind provocateur than a celebrity because thoughts dwell longer in a person than a designer dress borrowed for one night. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

My culture may be different from yours, but that should not be a reason for you to sneer at it. If a bunch of us appreciate it, then there must be something special to be learned by everyone, even you a stranger. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Writing is a lonely business, which if allowed publicity and socializing it might deteriorate. Supportive people understand the need of a writer to withdraw to the solitude of oneself. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

If I was a cake, I would be incomplete unless I was a yellow sponge from Asia; frosted with brown chocolate from Americas; classy and elegant decorated with fresh white cream from Europe, and satin black fondant from Africa. I would be edible only if cooled in the Antarctica and served at a beach in Australia. No race in this world is superior to another but rather deficient without the other. Tolerance is not love but a chance to abolish any opportunity for hatred. Let's keep baking in a joyful and tolerant manner. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The heaviest heart eventually heals to heavenly heights. Never give up. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Then I saw his kind eyes, a comfort I desired. Then I saw his height, a knight I needed by my side. Then I saw his body, a man I surrendered to. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The past has taught me that any heart has immeasurable capacity to love, no matter how many times it has been broken. Now I choose to love as hard as I can and without reservations. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Maturity and wisdom become us, when we appreciate people from our past. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Have you ever entered a kitchen to find a woman, her legs crossed while the rest of her body is dressed in colourful khanga, smiling at you while her hands are making a melodious song with a coconut grater? Have you ever wondered how any woman size can fit on that grater regardless of their body size? The time for wondering is over. East Africa heartily welcomes you to see for yourself. Go and visit it. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

My accent is of African ancestry and so is my origin and I have no intention to change any of it. Therefore nobody should expect me to fraudulently behave as if I was anything else. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

My role is to be a light, shine bright and create sparks. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Fear confines us to lesser choices that we can't grow. Hope liberates us to greater heights that we can grow. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

May you grow to be a fearless and proud accepting-self human. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Being poor is neither history nor permanent but a status. Writers who begin with this sentence "X is a poorest country in the world," to describe any African country are lacking intelligence. How would they feel if we turned the tables and used sentences that portray historical offenses committed to other countries? I bet nobody would like to read, "X is a country that killed millions of Y during Z's regime. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

She is a woman, how can you confuse her for a man? — Gloria D. Gonsalves

In my book, everything considered immoral, foolish and unhealthy is fine in moderate measurements. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

There is nothing wrong for a man to be in the kitchen and cook. There is nothing wrong for a man to like flowers. There is nothing wrong for a man to carry a baby. There is nothing wrong for a man to do house chores. There is nothing wrong for a man to visit a beauty salon. But there is something wrong if anyone of us feels it is not right for him to do any of these. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Drooling over an African figure that I could never have, I feasted my eyes upon
the swaying mounds of my fellow African sisters. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

We are all angelic.
Offspring of godly relic,
accept and be prophetic. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

What are the lessons intended in the stories we tell to our children today? — Gloria D. Gonsalves

If you are looking for a perfect woman, she does not reside here, you will find only me. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The joy of comradeship in this foreign land has been killed by silence and overprotection of personal space. I miss the chaos around me for it makes me realise that I am amidst life and alive. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

The day I will stop being shocked by human behaviour, is the day I will know that the last bit of my heart purity is lost forever. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

We should all celebrate the magnitude of diverse and unique souls that live in our world today, for it is an essence that makes our lives colourful every single
day. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I aspire to be an inspirer, not a mentor. As such it would be fulfilling to know that someone read what I wrote and tailored it creatively to serve positively their divine purpose. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

To be a woman is not a weakness. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I was taught how to walk but I did not master the cheating steps of others. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

At times we are the worst racist enemies of our black selves. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

What might be considered loyalty in one
society might not necessarily be the same for another. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Spend time to love yourself and the aging process involved. Your growth vintage is priceless. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

This is the sinking woman
whose soul touched the ocean and
caused it to storm kisses. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Everyone these days is concerned so much with privacy and forgets the value of human touch. We still need each other but are scared of how it might sound or appear to the other. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Being able to experience and live the differences with sound judgement offers a chance to opt for what is right for one. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I refuse to behave fraudulently, as if I was anything else but African. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Sometimes one day at a time is too much. Try one moment at a time. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

You are not the problem but fashion designers, who are limiting themselves creatively. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

You will experience a lot of imaginings as usually is for humans although we tend to pretend that all our thoughts are septic and moral. Feel
comfortable with your thoughts. Trust me dear child, no human is spared from wild thoughts and you too will have them. Nothing should limit you my child. But the minute you decide to speak out your thinking or live them, you should be ready for the consequences too. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

If a lion can growl, why shouldn't a man cry? — Gloria D. Gonsalves

I have learned that love is not a button which you can switch it on when wonderfully sizzling and switch off when heart broken. When you love you cannot put a past tense to it because if you do then it was never love in the first place. But if love was there, then it persists in different forms such as mutual respect but never hatred. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Give yourself a break from any holy book; and
start looking at others as you want to be looked at. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

Then I learnt of "white Christmas", which again I found very peculiar since we always have a white Christmas at home for it never passes by without eating rice. That is our white Christmas. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

As a writer, the main skill you need is curiosity. As a reader, the main tool you need is open-mindedness. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

If I believe in humanity and all that encompasses it including being kind and respectful of others, then I hereby declare that my love extends to gay, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. — Gloria D. Gonsalves

No mirror can highlight the beauty within you than your own eyes. No eyes can fairly judge your appearance than your own pride. — Gloria D. Gonsalves