Nichelle Nichols

“You are the creator of your own destiny.”

“Science is not a boy's game, it's not a girl's game. It's everyone's game. It's about where we are and where we're going.”

“Star Trek represented, and still does represent, the future we can have, a future that is beyond the petty squabbles of our present.”

“For the first time on television, we would be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, qualified, capable, beautiful people.”

“I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.”

“Art is what makes life worth living. It is a reflection of who we are and who we can be.”

“He [Martin Luther King Jr.] said, 'You cannot leave... for the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, qualified, capable... You don't have a Black role. You have an equal role.'”

“Out of chaos comes inspiration.”

“Mine is the first non-stereotypical role. I'm not playing a maid.”

“The dream is what you do, what you manifest, what you create.”

“Space is for all of humanity.”

“Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”

“Representation is not a favor. It is a right.”

“The arts are not a frill. The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature.”

“I realized that I was in a position of power, that I could be a role model for young women and people of color.”