--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When words & manners leave you no space…" description: "\"When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make very personal very clear & your obstructions will join you or disappear.\" — Ntozake Shange" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png" --- # When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make… ![“When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make very personal very clear & your obstructions will join you or disappear.” quote by Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png) > “When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make very personal very clear & your obstructions will join you or disappear.” [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When personal expression is stifled, clarity and assertiveness can dissolve obstacles or cause them to vanish. **In simple terms:** Clear, personal boundaries remove barriers. Key Takeaway Speak your truth clearly. Themes self‑expression boundaries clarity Mood reflective determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - interpersonal conflict - self‑assertion - mental space Key Concepts assertiveness personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance clarity with empathy? - When does personal space become isolation? A Different Perspective Over‑assertiveness may alienate others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Leave Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-space-524594/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Manners Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners-leave-1912962/) [Obstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstruction/) [Personal Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-clear-3249207/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Words Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-manners-3249208/) ## Related quotes > [And now, gentlemen, like your manners, I must leave you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/and-now-gentlemen-like-your-manners-i-must-leave-you/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [I plan years in advance, but I like to leave enough space in the narrative scheme to change things, because I always get my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/i-plan-years-in-advance-but-i-like-to-leave-enough-space-in-the/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [Can a growing human population still leave space for wildlife?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/can-a-growing-human-population-still-leave-space-for-wildlife/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-again-clutter-your-days-or-nights-with-so-many-menial-and-3/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Leave a space and something will fill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/leave-a-space-and-something-will-fill-it/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [“But dead people leave a space. It’s not a physical space. It’s a part of our life that remains in a vacuum. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-teague/but-dead-people-leave-a-space-it-s-not-a-physical-space-it-s-a-part/) [Paul Teague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-teague/) > [The idea for a book usually bubbles up from my sub-conscious when I am drifting off to sleep. Each one has started as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-bradby/the-idea-for-a-book-usually-bubbles-up-from-my-sub-conscious-when-i/) [Marie Bradby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-bradby/) > [“It was better to leave the space empty of words than to choose the wrong ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/it-was-better-to-leave-the-space-empty-of-words-than-to-choose-the/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [What empowers me in my daily work and life is the knowledge that I will be guided, if I let go of my need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-kavanagh/what-empowers-me-in-my-daily-work-and-life-is-the-knowledge-that-i/) [Jennifer Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-kavanagh/) > [I try to leave some space in my mind for things to surprise me or change my mind, I think that's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-try-to-leave-some-space-in-my-mind-for-things-to-surprise-me-or/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I personally don't lock in a performance, because I do leave room for things to happen, so I just make sure I'm very intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-kelechi-watson/i-personally-don-t-lock-in-a-performance-because-i-do-leave-room-for/) [Susan Kelechi Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-kelechi-watson/) > [I call on you not to hate, because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/i-call-on-you-not-to-hate-because-hate-does-not-leave-space-for-a/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [You've gotta leave enough space for your actors to bring stuff to the table and whatever the weather's doing that day or what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/you-ve-gotta-leave-enough-space-for-your-actors-to-bring-stuff-to-the/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [A lot of guitar players, in every genre, are afraid to leave space. They're afraid to leave a hole, afraid they'll fall down it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-moore/a-lot-of-guitar-players-in-every-genre-are-afraid-to-leave-space-they/) [Gary Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-moore/) > [“How you enter a space and how you leave a space is as important as what happens in the space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/how-you-enter-a-space-and-how-you-leave-a-space-is-as-important-as/) [Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/) ## More by Ntozake Shange > [My characters don't talk necessarily in a normal American way of talking. They talk a little different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-characters-don-t-talk-necessarily-in-a-normal-american-way-of/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/it-still-amazes-and-fascinates-me-that-women-of-color-have-kept-my/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I write for young girls of color, for girls who don't even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-write-for-young-girls-of-color-for-girls-who-don-t-even-exist-yet/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [My family moved around a lot, so I don't have any friends that I had all my life, but I did have annual trips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-family-moved-around-a-lot-so-i-don-t-have-any-friends-that-i-had/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Creation is everything you do. Make something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/creation-is-everything-you-do-make-something/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Where there is a woman there is magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/where-there-is-a-woman-there-is-magic/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [i usedta live in the world really be in the world free & sweet talkin good mornin & thank-you & nice day uh huh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-usedta-live-in-the-world-really-be-in-the-world-free-sweet-talkin/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/the-slaves-who-were-ourselves-had-known-terror-intimately-confused/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [White people use their literature to maintain culture. That's why you find references to Milton and Spencer and Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky in contemporary novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/white-people-use-their-literature-to-maintain-culture-that-s-why-you/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Multiculturalism isn't about culture, it's about power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/multiculturalism-isn-t-about-culture-it-s-about-power/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Art gives us the opportunity to have clarity as well as hope that we might be able to survive a situation, or hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/art-gives-us-the-opportunity-to-have-clarity-as-well-as-hope-that-we/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I think art is a healing force, and if we give in to the joy that can be found in art, then we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-think-art-is-a-healing-force-and-if-we-give-in-to-the-joy-that-can/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Being alive and being a woman is all I got, but being colored is a metaphysical dilemma I haven't conquered yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/being-alive-and-being-a-woman-is-all-i-got-but-being-colored-is-a/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [When I die, I will no be guilty of having left a generation of girls behind thinking that anyone can tend to their emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-i-die-i-will-no-be-guilty-of-having-left-a-generation-of-girls/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-lost-my-ability-to-read-and/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) [Explore all 57 Ntozake Shange quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## More Clear quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I try to listen to all music with an open head, a clear head, try not to say just because I don't know it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/i-try-to-listen-to-all-music-with-an-open-head-a-clear-head-try-not/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [I've always made it clear that I do not believe that global government is either necessary or feasible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-always-made-it-clear-that-i-do-not-believe-that-global/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [The moment it begins to question itself, the mind becomes so clear that it starts working with itself rather than with the body's identification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/the-moment-it-begins-to-question-itself-the-mind-becomes-so-clear/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Alec Wilkinson is a spare, clear, and lucid writer who works in stylistic simplicity with material that is not simple at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/alec-wilkinson-is-a-spare-clear-and-lucid-writer-who-works-in/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 7,410 Clear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make very personal very clear & your obstructions will join you or disappear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ntozake Shange" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-for-yourself-make-very-personal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-for-yourself-make-very-personal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ntozake-shange-11891_clear_when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-fo_1962598.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When words & manners leave you no space for yourself make very personal very clear & your obstructions will…” — Ntozake Shange", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ntozake Shange", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When words & manners leave you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-for-yourself-make-very-personal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-words-manners-leave-you-no-space-for-yourself-make-very-personal/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```