---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would be good for us Africans to…"
description: "\"It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we are and recapture some of the positive aspects of our culture.\" — Wangari Maathai"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg"
---

#  It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we…

![“It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we are and recapture some of the positive aspects of our culture.” quote by Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg)

> “It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we are and recapture some of the positive aspects of our culture.”

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Africans should value their heritage and revive cultural strengths to foster identity and progress.

**In simple terms:** Celebrate and restore cultural positives.

Key Takeaway

Reclaim cultural strengths for growth.

Themes

identity culture self‑esteem

Mood

hopeful inspirational

Type

activist philosophical

When to use this quote

- education
- community development
- policy making
- media representation

Key Concepts

anthropology social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- Which cultural aspects can empower modern societies?
- How to balance tradition with innovation?

A Different Perspective

Risk of romanticizing past without addressing present challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Africans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africans/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/)

## Related quotes

> [Do not be naive. AIDS is not a curse from God to Africans or the black people. It is a tool to control them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/do-not-be-naive-aids-is-not-a-curse-from-god-to-africans-or-the-black/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [“The practice of Detachment encourages the positive aspects of your life to become dominant, while providing a clear path for the negative aspects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/the-practice-of-detachment-encourages-the-positive-aspects-of-your/)

[Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/)

> [I presume that nobody will deny the positive aspects of the North American cultural world. These are well known to all. But these aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-presume-that-nobody-will-deny-the-positive-aspects-of-the-north/)

[Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/)

> [The understanding you gain from practicing gratitude frees you from being lost or identified with either the negative or the positive aspects of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-moffitt/the-understanding-you-gain-from-practicing-gratitude-frees-you-from/)

[Phillip Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-moffitt/)

> [Being a star kid, I don't want to complain. I am lucky and super blessed. Yes, there is a negative side of comparison and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-panday/being-a-star-kid-i-don-t-want-to-complain-i-am-lucky-and-super/)

[Ananya Panday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-panday/)

> [We need to emphasize the more positive aspects of our species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-mcgill/we-need-to-emphasize-the-more-positive-aspects-of-our-species/)

[Everett McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-mcgill/)

> [The people will always attempt to find the positive aspects of all circumstances, which, in themselves, are not susceptible to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/the-people-will-always-attempt-to-find-the-positive-aspects-of-all/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [Disagreements are one of the fundamental positive aspects of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-fauci/disagreements-are-one-of-the-fundamental-positive-aspects-of-science/)

[Anthony Fauci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-fauci/)

> [People who complain often say things like, 'I'm not being negative, I'm just being realistic.' Really? How is it anymore 'realistic' to focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/people-who-complain-often-say-things-like-i-m-not-being-negative-i-m/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [Visualization lets you concentrate on all the positive aspects of your game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-strange/visualization-lets-you-concentrate-on-all-the-positive-aspects-of/)

[Curtis Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-strange/)

> [Make lists of positive aspects. Make lists of things you love - and never complain about anything. And as you use those things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/make-lists-of-positive-aspects-make-lists-of-things-you-love-and/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [For those you work with or interact with regularly .. get a notebook and write down positive aspects of each of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/for-those-you-work-with-or-interact-with-regularly-get-a-notebook-and/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [One of the positive aspects from my point of view in terms of lifestyle doing film is that I can say "Well, I'm now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-weaving/one-of-the-positive-aspects-from-my-point-of-view-in-terms-of/)

[Hugo Weaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-weaving/)

> [The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery, even when they have to take a detour.\[make the best of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeans/the-really-happy-person-is-the-one-who-can-enjoy-the-scenery-even/)

[James Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jeans/)

> [“Acknowledging that my skin was, in fact, Cocoa as it is, would have destroyed their narrative about who I really was. Therefore they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/acknowledging-that-my-skin-was-in-fact-cocoa-as-it-is-would-have/)

[Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/)

## More by Wangari Maathai

> [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-cannot-tire-or-give-up-we-owe-it-to-the-present-and-future/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [What I am trying to say is that they need to learn to rely on themselves and to learn from other people, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/what-i-am-trying-to-say-is-that-they-need-to-learn-to-rely-on/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [As long as there is no trust and confidence that there will be justice and fairness in resource distribution, political positioning will remain more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/as-long-as-there-is-no-trust-and-confidence-that-there-will-be/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [If Africa is left behind, she is going to continue pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, especially carbon. She's going to continue logging the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/if-africa-is-left-behind-she-is-going-to-continue-pumping-greenhouse/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [That's the way I do things when I want to celebrate, I always plant a tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/that-s-the-way-i-do-things-when-i-want-to-celebrate-i-always-plant-a/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [I think that for anybody who has worked in the civil society, government bureaucracy moves very very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-think-that-for-anybody-who-has-worked-in-the-civil-society/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [I have seen a lot of men, for example, who will make a will and include their daughters whether they are married or not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-have-seen-a-lot-of-men-for-example-who-will-make-a-will-and-include/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [I was particularly talking with respect to aid, because that to me is one area that can make people so dependent, and unfortunately, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-was-particularly-talking-with-respect-to-aid-because-that-to-me-is/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [African women in general need to know that it's OK for them to be the way they are - to see the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/african-women-in-general-need-to-know-that-it-s-ok-for-them-to-be-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [As a scientist I cannot say we don't want to hear anything about GMOs, because these are advances in science. But I think its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/as-a-scientist-i-cannot-say-we-don-t-want-to-hear-anything-about-gmos/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [When I first started, it was really an innocent response to the needs of women in rural areas. When we started planting trees to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/when-i-first-started-it-was-really-an-innocent-response-to-the-needs/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [Monsanto will not come empty-handed. Monsanto will come with a big bag of money. And because these governments are poor, when they are shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/monsanto-will-not-come-empty-handed-monsanto-will-come-with-a-big-bag/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? When you ask where did the virus come from, it raises a lot of flags.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/why-has-there-been-so-much-secrecy-about-aids-when-you-ask-where-did/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [I stand before you and the world humbled by this recognition and uplifted by the honour of being the 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-stand-before-you-and-the-world-humbled-by-this-recognition-and/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

[Explore all 164 Wangari Maathai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

## More Accept quotes

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [The fans can accept a poor performance, but they won't take it when you choose not to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/the-fans-can-accept-a-poor-performance-but-they-won-t-take-it-when/)

[Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/)

> [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/)

[Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/)

> [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/)

[Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/)

> [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/)

[Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/)

> [It's very important to me that people accept me as a transgendered female. But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/)

[Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/)

> [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/)

[Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/)

> [Not harder than it should be, no. We're about the business, we're about the work. It's all about the work, always. We have fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/not-harder-than-it-should-be-no-we-re-about-the-business-we-re-about/)

[Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/)

> [I wish I could just accept that I'm not that good and not be shy about the fact that I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-wish-i-could-just-accept-that-i-m-not-that-good-and-not-be-shy/)

[Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/)

> [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/)

[Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/)

> [“I hope there is less stigma and judgment against working moms and childless career women. All should be acceptable positions and society should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chan-heng-chee/i-hope-there-is-less-stigma-and-judgment-against-working-moms-and/)

Chan Heng Chee

> [“Of course I can accept you for who you are. You are someone I need to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-glasbergen/of-course-i-can-accept-you-for-who-you-are-you-are-someone-i-need-to/)

[Randy Glasbergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-glasbergen/)

> [I can't be that kind of person others want me to be.I know I can't please everybody for just being me But I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/i-can-t-be-that-kind-of-person-others-want-me-to-be-i-know-i-can-t/)

[Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/)

> [I don't care who you are,Where you from,As long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-vibz/i-don-t-care-who-you-are-where-you-from-as-long-as-you-love-me/)

[Mks Vibz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-vibz/)

Browse all 2,963 Accept quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we are and recapture some of the positive aspects of our culture.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wangari Maathai"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-accept-ourselves-as-we-are-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accept"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-accept-ourselves-as-we-are-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/wangari-maathai-2479_accept_it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-acce_1056110.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It would be good for us Africans to accept ourselves as we are and recapture some of the positive aspects of…” — Wangari Maathai",
                "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": "Wangari Maathai",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It would be good for us...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-accept-ourselves-as-we-are-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/it-would-be-good-for-us-africans-to-accept-ourselves-as-we-are-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
