Tabitha Brown Quotes

the more you understand how worthy you are, the more likely you’ll find your strength again.

be kind. People are just happy to be alive. Our kindness fuels their gratitude, and hopefully our own.

Despite what anybody may have to say to you or about you today, you are enough. Yesterday, you were enough. Today, you are enough. Tomorrow, you’ll be enough. Forever, you’re enough. Change the way you think, baby. Don’t give control over your life, your self-perception, to people who have no business having that kind of power.

If you’re going to get comfortable, baby, find comfort in your gratitude.

remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit.

I encourage you to take time to focus on your relationship with the Creator, if you want to, and I’ll work on mine. Because that right there is all our business.

Work on your dash, honey. You know . . . that line between the year of your birth and the year of your death that shows up on the tombstone

You never know whose chains you’ll unlock by having the courage to tell your truth, and you may even unlock your own.

love the Lord. I am a Christian. But I’m definitely not religious. I see how religion, particularly as an institution, has caused all kinds of separation between people who need each other.

Fear tainted my thoughts. Made me think I couldn’t be successful being myself.

If you are having second and third thoughts about someone, it’s probably good to not have a fourth one.

when everything and everyone is telling you that you can’t do something, there’s still a way. When you feel like you’ve tried everything, there’s still a way.

sometimes an interruption is a sign that something needs to be tended to. So if it requires my energy and time in order to make room for peace within, then I handle it as it comes.

You are the only person who knows how you feel.

Listen to the wisdom around, no matter what form it takes.

Sometimes as we grow, we will inevitably shed some folk naturally from our lives. But losing them isn’t going to stunt your growth. Nope, not one single bit. You’re going to keep growing.

This degree that life gives you is everything, honey. And you can use it anywhere. Life will give you a master’s, maybe even a doctorate, in whatever that thing is you’re doing right now. Use that. Use your life experiences, okay? Let your life experiences make room for your dreams.

there will be folks around you trying to convince you that you are crazy. Or they’ll say it’s the devil. They told Jesus the same thing, you know. He’s healing people and working miracles and those daggone church folks claim he’s doing it by the power of the devil. So if people did it to him, they’ll do it to you.

Find your lane, baby. I’ve seen highways with six, sometimes eight lanes. If everyone is going the same way, then everyone is going to pick a lane and ride in it. Yes, depending on the lane chosen, some folks are going to get there a little bit quicker and some are going to take their time. But we’re all on the same road. You don’t have to do everything just like somebody else to be successful. Figure out your own way and be alright with getting off on a different exit, your exit.

Honey, remember, the same day we plant our seeds is not the same day we eat the fruit. It takes time before the harvest comes.

It was never my job to make anybody else feel comfortable about my life. This is my life. Your life is yours.

Go to the root of your hurt so you can stop dumping your pain on people you don’t know on the internet.

rapper and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle once said, and it rings true: If your circle does not serve you or does not make you better, you ain’t in a circle—you’re in a cage.

whenever I’m in a traffic jam I assume God has placed me there to have some alone time with Him.

I know who I am. I know I’m not the problem.

let us acknowledge that our true self is enough, and stop it. You’ll probably be more productive that way. And you’ll definitely feel free.

When I’m having one of those moments when I don’t want to do something, I remind myself that there was a time when I couldn’t do it. The blessing is in the fact that you still get to do it.

My best friend, Beth, tells me her best friend Brené Brown says you should keep a list in your purse of the people whose opinions matter to you. It’s a handy reminder: you needn’t worry about anybody else. My purse, which Nathan bought me, is patterned with a collage of Benedict Cumberbatch faces, so I don’t need such a list. Cashiers who say “I love your purse!” are the only people worth listening to.

takes a lot of time, patience, and love to forgive, so definitely do it when the time is right. But please do it. The pain you are holding in your heart because of it is keeping you from your most amazing life.

be your own person. No one can live for you. Choose freedom. Choose to be yourself no matter who likes it or who doesn’t. You can still be loving to people. You can love people and still demand respect for yourself.

Can we train ourselves to be a good partner in a relationship? A good business partner? Can we train ourselves to do better at managing our finances? Absolutely. Honey, you can always be the best version of yourself if you put the time in. But if you are getting into these relationships with whoever comes your way and still not developing yourself, you are going to fail every time. Focusing on readying yourself will also give you the discernment to recognize who might be the right partner in the first place. I don’t want you to lose the fight, honey, so stay out of the ring until you’re ready to be there.

Baby, when everything and everyone is telling you that you can't do something, there's still a way. When you get to the crossroads and start feeling like you can do it, but you can't figure out what's next, I want you to whisper this to yourself: Patricia Blackstock Johnson. I want you to remember that if Tab's mama can put a pencil in her mouth to hit record on her tape recorder, what can you not do? Where there's a will, there's a way. All you have to do is have the willpower to keep going. Even when it looks like it's going to be over or the storm is too powerful, honey, stay in a state of gratitude. Give God praise in advance.

day by day, I stripped off all the stuff that wasn’t me. And honey, no wonder I was so sick. Tab was being suffocated. The true me was being smothered by the false mask I was wearing. Layers of other people, other voices, and other personalities that I’d accumulated while seeking validation came off. All the ways I was trying to fit in and be accepted were released. No wonder I was exhausted. It was tiring being someone else.

Let us stop destroying our little boys’ emotional lives by preventing them from being able to express themselves.

if you keep fighting those natural emotions, rest assured they will eventually fight against you.

Look at you not needing measurements and things. Cooking by the spirit is the only way, honey.

I blew more time trying to be skinny. I worked out to be thin, never to be healthy. And my body eventually let me know just how that was working out for me. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s okay to want to look good. But when the external supersedes the internal, you have a problem. If the only reason you are working out is to look better, that’s a problem.

Your dream is like your baby. When you first conceive, it’s important to get through the first trimester. However, just like with an actual baby, if you try to give birth in that first trimester, you will likely lose the dream. And yes, a baby can be born in the second trimester, but the complications are high and survival rates are low. The best outcome is for the baby—and your dream—to develop to full term before delivery. Give that dream time to develop.

To whom much is given, much is required

This inclination to make the worst comment in order to get a reaction is dehumanizing, & it’s time for it to stop

It is important that we recognize the difference between being right and just being caught up in your feelings

Find something, anything, to thank God for and watch how your heart's posture will elevate you.

Deal with yourself as an individual worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way

At this time Tabitha was fourteen, a small thin girl with large, too prominent eyes, a thick mouth, a snub nose, and a heavy clubbed pigtail of brown hair. And she was still remarkable for nothing but certain violence of ordinariness.

He ends his letter with, ‘I believe you’ll like her.’” “What does he care if we like her or not? If she’s company, we’ll do right by her and he knows it.” “Of course we will.” Ruth glanced between Peyton’s missive and the more delicate penmanship that appeared on the slip of paper. Then she looked at Tabitha. “I imagine our questions will be answered soon enough. Meanwhile, you and I need to go into town and visit Miss Isles and see about some dresses.” “But, Miss Ruth, it ain’t like our boy to send us a young lady and want her outfitted too.” Tabitha’s brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. “It is quite extraordinary, isn’t it?” “I’m wondering if …” “The same thing I’m wondering, no doubt.” A grin split Tabitha’s dark face. “Maybe we didn’t fib to Miss Frances after all.

Let me share this with you: You can have some amazing mentors in your life. You can follow all the awesome influencers out there and they can certainly offer you guidance and inspiration in your decision-making and ideas. But you should never allow a person to influence you so much that you lose yourself in the process. Influence is just that: influence. It does not mean you have to be that person. It does not mean you have to do exactly what they’ve done. Your journey is unique to you.

Be careful about praying for more without praying that you are ready for it when more comes!

know that returning negative energy to someone who is already sitting deep in it won’t change them or me. It will only put more negative energy into the world.

You deserve to know yourself. You deserve to love on yourself. Take yourself out. If you feel good about being with you then you can trust that the right person or people will feel good around you. You’ll also prevent yourself from falling for some foolishness. When you don’t know yourself, or what you like, you’ll fall for anything. We’re not doing that anymore, okay?

But here’s the real catch: If you don’t have empathy, you might be quick to respond to that person with the same energy they’re giving. Then it becomes a never-ending circle of toxic communication.

know you want it really bad. That dream is burning in your heart and you are ready to do all the things. The problem is, you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re off to the races but don’t know anything about running. Slow down, baby. Do the research. Ask questions. It’s okay to take your time. This journey, this life, is not a sprint. Success is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. The culture tells you to rush. To hurry up and get it done, whatever it is. But Tab is telling you to take your time. Take a minute or more to figure out what you’re doing. Get you a mentor. Watch some videos. Honey, read some books. Spend the time right now to get what you need, in order to see everything you’ve longed for come to pass.

There are some things in our lives we just spend too much time on. It’s time to let it go. I don’t care what it is. If you’re stressing over it, then you probably need to be still for a pair of seconds or maybe even part ways with it. You’ve been praying and worrying all at the same time, and that doesn’t make much sense, does it? You’ve spent enough time on a situation that probably won’t matter in the long run, alright? Very good. And here’s the thing about time: It will not wait for you. You only have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. All the time you spent worrying about something you have no control over could have been spent working toward your dream. If the situation is not serving you, honey, let it go. Whatever they said, they can’t take it back and you can’t erase it. Don’t waste your time on things that aren’t serving you.

Whenever you find yourself focused on things that aren’t suited for you or holding on to things you clearly need to let go, it’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Who am I trying to be? Why do I resist being myself? I’m claiming that I’m “doing me,” but am I really? Love yourself first. Then you can go out and give other people love. Then you will know how to be loved. That might be why your relationships don’t work. Maybe every time you engage with someone, it fails because you don’t love yourself. You can’t teach them how to love you because you don’t know what that even entails. What does it mean to love you? You might be feeling lonely and praying that God sends you a partner, a lover. Well, the way you get there is learning how to partner with yourself. Be your own lover. Get to know you. Figure out what you love and like, so when somebody comes around and they are potentially that special one, you’ll be able to tell them what you need. If somebody asks you, “What you like to do?” and your answer is “I don’t know,” that’s your sign.

There is something within some people that’s broken and scared, but I don’t have to carry that.

We know that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and yet we use our words to put people who are different from us, or who don’t believe the way we believe, in a kind of bondage. I’ve seen this happen, especially with the LGBTQIA+ community. Some families who have children or family members who are LGBTQIA+ have this notion that these beautiful humans are not okay and are constantly telling them that they are living in sin or going to hell, or that something is wrong with them. That is just not right. I’ve met so many children and adults whose family have turned their backs on them for simply existing. People who have been rejected because of who they are, for being the way that God created them. Honey, just because someone is different from you does not make them wrong. It just simply makes them different. We are all different, and we should all be able to live our lives as we feel we were created to live it, without judgment, without hate being spewed at us, and without worry about whether a family member—someone who claims to love us—will turn on us. Turning your back on anyone is not an action rooted in love.

Let’s choose joy and love. Let’s choose peace. And then once we’ve got it for ourselves, let’s spread it around. So, let go of trying to fit in. Let go of trying to please other people over yourself. You are an original creation. It’s okay to be whoever God created you to be. There’s nothing better than originality. When I let go of the old Tab, a weight was lifted. I thought, You mean to tell me all these years I was trying to fit in, trying to look and be and talk like other people, I was keeping myself from being free? Yep!

What did I do? I lived. Living builds character. It shapes us into who we are going to become.

Now Tabitha is forced to truly consider the mechanics of things, to look at events as chance rather than luck, as coincidence rather than fate. Because there are so many families who would love to adopt this child, who have ached, prayed or wondered. Out of all of those people, how do you choose? What if you choose the wrong family for a child? How would you even know?

But honey, some of y'all have let folks drive your car who shouldn't have even been allowed to ride in it. But there you are, handing over the keys to your mind, heart, and soul. Some people you let drive your car too long. They aren't doing any maintenance on it. Haven't contributed a gallon of gas, but they are still driving your life instead of you. Honey, time's up. It's time to take your keys to your car and your life back. You are the only driver.

Just because you see me out in my dress smiling doesn’t mean I’m not hurting, or that I didn’t want to sleep in. It means that despite everything I still showed up.

I logged in and created content everyday for two years. No days off. I was driven by my passion but also my obedience to God, who said that I was doing this for a purpose. God was trying to show me something, and in order for me to see, I had to do my part. My part was being consistent.

Our grandparents, mothers, and fathers often do a phenomenal job in holding us together. But when God calls them home, that doesn’t mean the family should be scattered and divided. We are supposed to try to do our best to stick together and love each other, just like they taught us.

There are going to be parts of your journey that will require you to go it alone. Everyone can’t go with you. In fact, I’d argue that there are things that must be done on your own or you’ll never see the fullness of it. You’ll never get it done.

Let’s get back to loving each other. Not from a distance. I mean up close. Let’s go see each other. Check on each other. Sometimes I think that’s all we need. Let’s tap into the spirits of our grandmas and great-grandmas, our granddaddies, aunts, and uncles. It feels good when you have family, and it feels even better when you’re together. There’s somebody out there who doesn’t have family. Who has to create one, not because they are far away like me, but because they literally don’t have anyone left. They are wishing they had someone they could call. So think about that, alright? Even if they cut up and act a fool sometimes, they are still your family, and you are a part of them. Go fix that thing.

When you know your name, you should hang on to it, for unless it is noted down and remembered, it will die when you do.” —Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

at one point in time, that tradition, that way of doing things, was new, too. Whoever created the traditional way of doing [fill in the blank] was an innovator. So what’s stopping you from innovating, too?

I know people who won’t even go to the gym and work out unless they have someone with them. They want a workout partner, which is fine, but if they don’t have one, they just don’t go to the gym. Why is it okay to sacrifice your fitness goals because you are afraid to enter the building alone? No, honey. That’s not the way.

her capacity, the wisdom that she imparted to me my whole childhood, wasn’t diminished a single bit by her deafness—no matter to what degree it actually existed in my imagination.

I know what society says. I know what the culture demands. But at what point are we going to get off that ride?

I know how it feels to feel stuck. It’s uncomfortable. But there’s also a discomfort that comes when God has been trying to move you and you won’t move. He’ll make you uncomfortable until you get forced to move. He did that to me many times as well. Don’t wait until things get so bad that God has to make you so uncomfortable just to push you out of your comfort zone. Take those steps yourself. Be ready to take your leaps of faith. Trust yourself. Trust that gut, that feeling deep down on the inside. It’s there. That’s our gift. And remember, wherever you are, it’s only temporary.

Frances, finding that useful mechanical smile, hugging Tabitha with one arm, looked at this dumpy man with pointed beard and noticeable brown eyes and saw in his expression the flicker of awkwardness that she generated now all around her. The bereaved are faintly leprous.

But I do not believe that guilt and shame is the way to bring people closer to God.