Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta — or Lady Gaga, as most of us know her by — is and has always been a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the stage. Not only has she won six Grammy Awards and gave a truly spectacular performance at the Super Bowl, but when she's not performing or dominating the charts, she's an incredibly vocal supporter of human rights — especially via her nonprofit, the Born This Way Foundation, founded in 2012 "with the goal of creating a kinder and braver world."
Back in 2015, Lady Gaga addressed Yale students as part of the Emotion Revolution, which encouraged more positive learning environments for students and adults alike. Gaga opened up about her anxiety and depression, encouraging students and young people not to be afraid to express themselves, not to be afraid to feel and express their pain.
More recently, Gaga continued to use her voice in support of March For Our Lives, proudly supporting the young people marching for safer schools and communities.
Lady Gaga March for Our Lives tweets
Lady Gaga March for Our Lives tweets
And we've only just grazed the surface. Below, we've gathered 24 of the most powerful Lady Gaga quotes — many from the Emotion Revolution summit, others from various interviews.
It's time to get inspired, love yourself, speak up and take action.
Breaking the mold
"You have to be a rebel. We've done the research — at least three-quarters of what you read on the internet is negative. So, be somebody that's the 25 percent. That's how rebellion begins. You have to be the antithesis of the status quo. You have to work against it. It's not about a reaction. You don't need to react to anything. We need to be proactive in our own movement of positivity." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
It's high time we begin embracing one another's differences. Most movers and shakers are slightly off-center.
Our inner heroes
"You don't need to or should not feel like a victim… Nobody can help you more than you can help yourself." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
We've all felt victimized at some point, but Gaga reminds us at the Emotion Revolution conference that we can be our own heroes.
The importance of emotion
"Feelings are important. Emotions are important. I'm not just an emoji even though I live in that age." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
If we could insert the hands-raised emoji here, we would.
Time to unplug
"The opposite of being mindful is being unconscious. So don't be unconscious. All day. On your fucking phone." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
At the very least, look up and into the eyes of the person speaking with you — your phone won't mind.
Spirit of equality
"I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and the spirit of this country as one of love and compassion and kindness."
When asked if she was going to unify America with her Super Bowl performance in 2017, this is what she had to say.
On solidarity
"I am you. We are each other." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
You are me. I am you. Gaga is all of us. The bottom line? We're all in this together.
The sum of her parts
"I am not just a pop star. I am not just famous. I am not just my outfits. I am not just my anxious, anxiety-ridden, depressed self. I am you." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
The danger of putting people in a box is that most of us, Gaga included, don't fit into just one.
Setting a standard of decency
"We have set a standard where it's not OK to act without morality and values and human respect. No person is better than another." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
When did it become OK — cool even — to be cruel? Gaga stresses the need for decency and kindness.
The end of trolling
"Is there anybody that likes reading negative comments? Not really, right? Isn't it boring now? It was fun for, like, a second because it felt dangerous. But it isn't now." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
Enough with the hateful commentary already! Here's looking at you, keyboard warriors.
Words matter
"Nobody is going to remember what you tweeted, but you will never forget all that hateful shit that you read every single day that made you sick at school. That made it hard for you to read. That made it hard for you to focus, get a boyfriend, make a friend, be able to have sex. I couldn't even tell you the number of things that depression and anxiety did to me growing up — all the problems." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
People may not tweet, points out Gaga, but they won't likely forget the way hateful barbs made them feel.
Pain is part of the process
"Kids need an outlet to express their pain, and we shouldn't ignore that pain." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
It's inevitable that kids will feel pain, so we must do a better job of giving them a sounding board for that hurt.
Pay attention
"It's about time we take kids seriously when they say, ‘I'm sad.' And we don't say, ‘Just toughen up,' or ‘Buck up,' or ‘Just deal with it.' We say, ‘I'm here. I'm listening. Reveal yourself.'" — at the Emotion Revolution summit
Turning a deaf ear to others in need doesn't just hurt them; it hurts all of us, ultimately.
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Push haters to the side
"Ignore all hatred and criticism. Live for what you create, and die protecting it."
Lady Gaga imparted her wisdom and advice for all creators with just one tweet.
Self-acceptance is key
"No matter how much success you have — no matter how many opportunities, fame, fortune, no matter how many people accept you to your face — the person that really needs to accept you is you." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
Gaga pointed out that for all her fame, she was never truly happy until she accepted herself.
Say something
"Pop culture is extremely shallow. And we're just asking the world to get deep and make it about feeling and make it about emotion — make it about how we truly feel. I might be a romantic, but wouldn't that be a better way to live? If we actually spoke to each other?" — at the Emotion Revolution summit
Pop culture breeds apathy, Gaga argues, and it's time for us to feel again.
Lack of communication
"This is the age that we live in. We're not actually communicating with each other. We are unconsciously communicating lies. I want to explode that today and break that with all of you as much as possible." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
"We are unconsciously communicating lies." Yep. This needs to change, like, yesterday.
You are in control
"It is your right to choose what you do and don't do. It is your right to choose what you believe in and what you don't believe in. It is your right to curate your life and your own perspective." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
If nothing else, remember this: You are the star of your own life. You have the right to do things your way.
Caring is cool
"Nobody wants to feel. It's not cool to feel. It's normal to not feel and to find a way to not feel. I hope today that we can make it cool to feel again and cool to care about it." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
We have to find a way to make it cool to feel again. Caring is cool, people... pass it along.
There's beauty in being different
"I think that's probably the best thing that artists and people who are born a little bit different — born with a little extra creativity, born with a little extra anxiety, a little extra something — have to offer the world: our wild thinking, our reckless behavior, our ability to be fearless. We should embrace that culture of kids." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
We shouldn't shun each other for our differences, but rather celebrate each other for them.
Be different
"You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you're all the same."
It's absolutely OK to be yourself — and be different.
Born this way
"What you should do is know that it is your right as a human being to tell anyone how you feel — to be who you are. We don't have to be catfishing all the time and pretending. Be yourself. You were born this way." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
You are who you are — you were born this way — and who you are is beautiful.
The power in our words
"What you choose to do with your voice in this world is extremely powerful. We have seen throughout history how dangerous it can be to use your voice for evil. Now we all have a platform." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
There is great power in worlds to do both good and evil. Choose to do good.
Life lessons
"Isn't that the greatest thing you could possibly teach one of your students? I mean, would you rather them remember that one chapter of the textbook you taught them — or do you want them to remember that you taught them to be a good person? The best mentors in my life taught me that, no matter how successful I became, to be nice to everybody, from the top to the bottom." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
The greatest lesson a person can learn is that of compassion. You never know what someone else is going through.
The revolution
"We want to start a philosophical movement that has all the moving parts you need to affect education and curriculum and behavioral change, but you know what? Unfortunately, not every kid in this country has a great education. Not every kid in this country has great teachers. Not every kid in this country can afford to eat or go to school. So we have to care about those kids too — and for those kids, it will be about the online change and the person-to-person human connection change. We have to make it cool to be nicer." — at the Emotion Revolution summit
The time for complacency is certainly not now — rather, it's time to start a revolution of niceness.