Selected Lena Horne Quotations
• In my early days I was a sepia Hedy Lamarr. Now I'm black and a woman, singing my own way.
• I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept. I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked.
• Always be smarter than the people who hire you.
• Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death.
• It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.
• You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way.
• It's ill-becoming for an old broad to sing about how bad she wants it. But occasionally we do.
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About These Quotes
Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection © Jone Johnson Lewis 1997-2005. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote.
Citation information:
Jone Johnson Lewis. "Lena Horne Quotes." About Women's History. URL: http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/qu_lena_horne.htm . Date accessed: (today). (More on how to cite online sources including this page)
