People are opting out of vital conversations about diversity and inclusivity because they fear looking wrong, saying something wrong, or being wrong. Choosing our own comfort over hard conversations is the epitome of privilege, and it corrodes trust and moves us away from meaningful and lasting change.

I speak to issues that people would rather not talk about and it makes them very uncomfortable.

What I found was worse than diversity—it was insanity.

...I chose to speak truth. Even when it's uncomfortable. Even when it leaves people feeling uneasy. When you speak truth, people won't always walk away feeling good - and sometimes you won't feel so great about the reaction you receive. But at least all parties will walk away knowing it was an honest conversation.

It’s frustrating for me, when people just talk about things at a superficial level and then try to solve the problem through diversity programs.

When you commit to transforming your life, you commit to getting very uncomfortable over and over and over again.

[...] we need to cultivate the courage to be uncomfortable and to teach the people around us how to accept discomfort as a part of growth.

I would like to get rid of the homophobes, sexists, and racists in our audience. I know they're out there and it really bothers me.

Diversity is a very popular business topic today while the negative side of diversity, discrimination, remains a touchy and sensitive topic. Even in organisations which follow the letter of the law in terms of not discriminating against any individuals, it is common for people to show prejudice and bias...Have the courage to stand out from your colleagues by being very open to and comfortable with all kinds of diversity amongst your colleagues and stakeholders. When you sense someone is being ignored or marginalized spend time with them and bring them into discussions encouraging them to speak up as needed.

The whole question makes me feel deeply uncomfortable and I have been trying to work through this, in both a personal and academic context, for many years.”

We are in the midst of change. And change can often feel uncomfortable, especially as it pulls us away from the systems and practices with which we have become familiar, but are no longer serving our needs efficiently.

Often what stops us from moving forward with change, whether it’s learning how to dance or leaving any kind of relationship that no longer serves our authentic selves, is our fear of what exposing our authentic selves to the world would feel like. It’s one of those things that could

Me personally and professionally, I haven't been that outspoken about race and class, partly because it's in my work, but in part because I don't want to get hate mail. I'm sick of trying to talk to people. I don't think you can change people. I think people have to be forced to do the right thing, so I'm not interested in trying to change people's opinion. I can illuminate, and you can see if you like. And if you can't see it, then just go buy the next book. But I'm sorry, I'm no longer interested in trying to be nice about what is right, because that doesn't work.

If there’s a fear of confronting who you are and what you believe, you're never going to be a good writer because you need to be able to see through the eyes of people who are not the same as you.