Why celebrate Lena Horne's birthday with ten Lena Horne quotes? Because her words have so much to teach us. The woman overcame a day and age that wasn't exactly hospitable to those of her ancestry. These twelve quotes give us some insight as to how special she is. Happy Birthday Lena. Thank you for these wonderful words.

1. "Always be smarter than the people who hire you."

2. "Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death."

3. "I was lucky, as many of my generation was, in having a man like Dr. King in our lives. He came at a time that we needed to take a long look at each other and see how similar we were."

4. "I'm still learning, you know. At 80, I feel there is a lot I don't know."

5. "Malcolm X made me very strong at a time I needed to understand what I was angry about. He had peace in his heart. He exerted a big influence on me."

6. "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

7. "It's so nice to get flowers while you can still smell the fragrance."

8. "After I got over the terrible pain of having something of mine taken from me, I began to think how bad everybody else must be feeling. It wasn't a nice time."

9. "I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else."

10. "Nobody black or white who really believes in democracy can stand aside now; everybody's got to stand up and be counted."

11. "I'm not alone, I'm free. I no longer have to be a credit, I don't have to be a symbol to anybody; I don't have to be a first to anybody."

12. "I told them I belong to the same organizations and clubs Mrs. Roosevelt belongs to, but with a few brave exceptions, I was still unable to do films or television for the next seven years."

Lena Horne is many things. She is a role model, an entertainer, a civil rights activist. Most of all, she is her own person and I think that's what we like best about her. Her birthday is right around the corner. Here's to hoping she gets hundreds or thousands of flowers (she seems to like them) and that some of us learn a bit from these twelve Lena Horne quotes.