--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, books were my source of…" description: "\"For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. It was this weird thin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c71/dee-rees-4528_affirmation_for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmati_170981.jpg" --- # For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker… ![“For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. It was this weird thing where I was censored in terms of what I could watch but not in terms of what I could read.” quote by Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c71/dee-rees-4528_affirmation_for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmati_170981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c71/dee-rees-4528_affirmation_for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmati_170981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c71/dee-rees-4528_affirmation_for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmati_170981.jpg) > “For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. It was this weird thing where I was censored in terms of what I could watch but not in terms of what I could read.” [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading works by marginalized authors provided affirmation and a sense of representation, contrasting with censored visual media. **In simple terms:** Books by underrepresented writers affirmed identity, unlike censored TV. Key Takeaway Seek diverse literature for empowerment and perspective. Themes representation literature identity media censorship Mood empowering critical Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - education - activism - personal development - media critique Key Concepts Intersectionality cultural validation Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape self‑perception? - What impact does media censorship have on identity? A Different Perspective Visual media restrictions may limit exposure to diverse stories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affirmation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirmation/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ## Related quotes > [In America, about the only thing censored today is Christianity, the same Christianity that was the driving force behind the building of this great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-scarborough/in-america-about-the-only-thing-censored-today-is-christianity-the/) [Rick Scarborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-scarborough/) > [We've never had a situation where mass media has been so censored, at least in my lifetime. When I was younger, networks like NBC,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/we-ve-never-had-a-situation-where-mass-media-has-been-so-censored-at/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [At the U.N., any nation that fights back is censored as an "aggressor."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/at-the-u-n-any-nation-that-fights-back-is-censored-as-an-aggressor/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [Making music on TV used to be as common as commercials. In the '60s and '70s, prime time was stuffed with variety shows headlined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/making-music-on-tv-used-to-be-as-common-as-commercials-in-the-60s-and/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [Part of the power of the Internet is that information flows out there and it's generally not censored and it's generally not controlled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/part-of-the-power-of-the-internet-is-that-information-flows-out-there/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Between 1961 and 1982, 'The Catcher in the Rye' was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/between-1961-and-1982-the-catcher-in-the-rye-was-the-most-censored/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [Usually the audience has no idea that the censored version of whatever movie they're watching isn't the original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-solondz/usually-the-audience-has-no-idea-that-the-censored-version-of/) [Todd Solondz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-solondz/) > [Libraries should be open to all - except the censor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/libraries-should-be-open-to-all-except-the-censor/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I never really expected "Hurricane" to be censored and banned around the world, but I think the good thing that came from it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-never-really-expected-hurricane-to-be-censored-and-banned-around/) [Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/) > [Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/thanks-to-television-for-the-first-time-the-young-are-seeing-history/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [As it is an ancient truth that freedom cannot be legislated into existence, so it is no less obvious that freedom cannot be censored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/as-it-is-an-ancient-truth-that-freedom-cannot-be-legislated-into/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Consistently, Baidu has censored politically sensitive search results much more thoroughly than Google.cn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/consistently-baidu-has-censored-politically-sensitive-search-results/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [While the Internet is censored in China, the censorship is allowing a level of speech to take place that's unprecedented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/while-the-internet-is-censored-in-china-the-censorship-is-allowing-a/) [Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/) > [I don't think that anything anyone has to say should ever be censored or unheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-think-that-anything-anyone-has-to-say-should-ever-be-censored/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/satire-that-the-censor-understands-is-rightly-censored/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) ## More by Dee Rees > [I want people to get from 'Pariah' that it's okay to be you and not to check a box as a parent or child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-want-people-to-get-from-pariah-that-it-s-okay-to-be-you-and-not-to/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought I'd get an MBA, and then I could be anything. And I'd write on the side. That was the idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-i-d-get-an-mba-and-then-i-could-be-anything-and-i-d-write/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought that marketing was a way to be creative in business but quickly learned all creative stuff happens at the ad agency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-that-marketing-was-a-way-to-be-creative-in-business-but/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first started going out to lesbian clubs, I felt a very binary recreation of hetero culture. There are butches and femmes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-started-going-out-to-lesbian-clubs-i-felt-a-very-binary/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I was always going to direct. I wasn't going to hand my characters over to anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-was-always-going-to-direct-i-wasn-t-going-to-hand-my-characters/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [My ultimate dream was just to be an auteur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/my-ultimate-dream-was-just-to-be-an-auteur/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first came out, holidays were hard. I reached a point where I didn't go home anymore. I constructed my own, kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-came-out-holidays-were-hard-i-reached-a-point-where-i/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [You can't be limited by your own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/you-can-t-be-limited-by-your-own-experience/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [We shouldn't be discriminating against each other. The whole 'light skin versus dark skin' is an idea we need to break down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/we-shouldn-t-be-discriminating-against-each-other-the-whole-light/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Going into a room and saying, 'I'm a black lesbian' - it's a strike against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/going-into-a-room-and-saying-i-m-a-black-lesbian-it-s-a-strike/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Each moment is defined by a multitude of histories, the past constantly converging upon us, perpetually decaying and reforming itself on the steady pulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/each-moment-is-defined-by-a-multitude-of-histories-the-past/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I'd go to lesbian parties. I felt like I wasn't hard enough to be butch, but I wasn't wearing heels and a skirt -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-d-go-to-lesbian-parties-i-felt-like-i-wasn-t-hard-enough-to-be/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Before Charlottesville, it might have been easy to dismiss the plot of 'Mudbound' as no longer relevant. Now, I feel like audiences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/before-charlottesville-it-might-have-been-easy-to-dismiss-the-plot-of/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For me, like, obviously, I want to see myself onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-me-like-obviously-i-want-to-see-myself-onscreen/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I love directing because you get to see your film come to life. You get to work with the actors. There's something magical about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-love-directing-because-you-get-to-see-your-film-come-to-life-you/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) [Explore all 109 Dee Rees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## More Affirmation quotes > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) > [There's a certain feeling of giving, a certain feeling of generosity in love songs. When you sing a song of love, you're actually giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/there-s-a-certain-feeling-of-giving-a-certain-feeling-of-generosity/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [Affirmations need to be used if they are to become incorporated into the fabric of your being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/affirmations-need-to-be-used-if-they-are-to-become-incorporated-into/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“Affirmation without discipline is like enthusiasm without direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mininni/affirmation-without-discipline-is-like-enthusiasm-without-direction/) [Lisa Mininni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mininni/) > [Whenever I'm in need of inspiration and mantras, I go straight to simple affirmations. 'I am strong', 'I am brave', 'I can do this'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/whenever-i-m-in-need-of-inspiration-and-mantras-i-go-straight-to/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [We in the Jewish community are comparatively lucky. All of traditions have anti-gay pieces but the Jewish tradition doesn't have as many anti-sexuality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/we-in-the-jewish-community-are-comparatively-lucky-all-of-traditions/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [I have a magical work in a magical way. I give magical service for magical pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/i-have-a-magical-work-in-a-magical-way-i-give-magical-service-for/) [Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/) > [“On one side it seems there is faith in a Creator-God - and at the same time, the rejection of his creation; and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-schmemann/on-one-side-it-seems-there-is-faith-in-a-creator-god-and-at-the-same/) [Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-schmemann/) > [For you deal here above all with human life, and human life is sacred; no one may dare make an attempt upon it. Respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/for-you-deal-here-above-all-with-human-life-and-human-life-is-sacred/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [An affirmation is a strong, positive statement that something is already so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/an-affirmation-is-a-strong-positive-statement-that-something-is/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) [Browse all 540 Affirmation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirmation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. 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