1023 – Courtney E Martin on Powerfully Sexiness and Beauty

“You know what’s really powerfully sexy? A sense of humor. A taste for adventure. A healthy glow. Hips to grab on to. Openness. Confidence. Humility. Appetite. Intuition. A girl who makes the world seem bigger and more interesting. A girl who can rap. A loud laugh that comes from her belly. Smart-ass comebacks. Presence. A quick wit. Dirty jokes told by an innocent looking lady. Hooded sweatshirts. Breakfast in bed. A girl with boundaries. Grace. Clumsiness. A runny-nosed crier. A partner who knows what turns her on. Sassy waitresses. Pretty scientists. Any and all librarians […]. Truth. Vulnerability. Strength. Naïveté. Big breasts. Small breasts. Doesn’t matter the size, they all fascinate. A girl who can play the blues harp. A girl who calls you on your bullshit but isn’t afraid to love you in spite of it. A storyteller. A genius. A doctor. A new mother. A woman who realizes how beautiful she is.”

-Courtney E Martin

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659 – “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.”

–anonymous [Multiple Attributions]

433 – “History will judge societies and governments — and their institutions — not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.”

–César Chávez

371 – “I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

–James Madison, 4th President of the United States of America [See Source Notes for context of this quote]

343 – “When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words.”

–Thema Davis

215 – “Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.”

–anonymous

199 – “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, and honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

–Leo Buscaglia

185 – Some Thoughts on Macho Talk Tweets

This is a series of 15 tweets with each tweet separated by a | (bar)

“Some thoughts on macho talk re: the Montana incident. The idea that real men occasionally hit, and that real men hit back, is bad for men. | I say this as someone who was much bigger than other humans starting at around age five, and who used his first from an early age. | I spent many recess periods in elementary school under lock and key. In middle school, it was counseling. | By the time I hit adolescence, my aunt told me on day that my family had considered sending me away because if how violent I was. | That toughness that people seem to admire from a distance makes people fear you up close. | It makes people who love you think you are dangerous. Pushing leads to punching, and punching can cause brain damage and facial deformity. | If you are poor, and you solve problems with violence, you end up incarcerated. People carry that label for the rest of their lives. | Our prisons are full of “real men.” | Battered women’s shelters are full of women fleeing “real men.” | The sons of “real men” grow up to be emotionally stunted, confused, and poor. | And men who learn to solve problems with violence use that violence everywhere. | Real men do everything they can to avoid hurting others and themselves. Self-restraint and wisdom are not weak, they are powerful. | If I am so lucky as to father boys, I will teach them this. I will never, ever forget the fear I inspired in the eyes of my mother, my little brother, and my classmates. The memory of it makes me ill. | We should not consign men, or the people they encounter, to this fate.”

–Mike Riggs