Quote by Toni Morrison: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

Having power, privilege, or ability is not just a personal asset — it comes with a responsibility to use it to lift others up. The point of gaining power is not to hold onto it but to share it, especially with those who have less access to it.

Morrison gave this as part of various interviews and speeches during the 1990s following her Nobel Prize. As one of the most celebrated and powerful literary figures in the United States, she was regularly asked about responsibility, mentorship, and what success meant in the context of racial inequality.

American novelist, editor, and professor who was the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1993. Her novels, including Beloved and Song of Solomon, explore the legacies of slavery and Black identity in America with extraordinary depth.