At bottom, to be colored means that one has been caught in some utterly unbelievable cosmic joke, a joke so hideous and in such bad taste that it defeats all categories and definitions.
James Baldwin
Cosmic Joke, Racial Struggle, Identity Crisis, Bad Taste, Unbelievable Reality, Racial Humor
James Baldwin’s Quotes On Topics
Sensuality | Shared Struggle | Reading | Creative Drive | Human Understanding | Liberation | Identity Realization | Cultural Oppression | Overcoming Challenges | Pain | Love's Endurance | Self-Defense Rights | Emotional Insincerity | Emotional Risk | Social Blame | Social Perception | Emotional Healing | Home And Belonging | Generational Change | Human Bias | More
More James Baldwin Quotes
“We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly.” James Baldwin
Self-Reflection, Personal Growth, Social Condition, Existential Struggle, Life Aspiration, Human Nature
James Baldwin Self-Reflection, Personal Growth, Social Condition, Existential Struggle, Life Aspiration, Human Nature“Americans are as unlike any other white people in the world as it is possible to be. I do not think, for example, that it is too much to suggest that the American vision of the world – which allows so little reality, generally speaking, for any of the darker forces in human life, which tends until today to paint moral issues in glaring black and white – owes a great deal to the battle waged by Americans to maintain between themselves and black men a human separation which could not be bridged.” James Baldwin
America, Race, Society, Morality, History, Separation
James Baldwin America, Race, Society, Morality, History, Separation“Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.” James Baldwin
Affliction, Fear, Crutch, Desire, Freedom
James Baldwin Affliction, Fear, Crutch, Desire, Freedom“The face of a lover is an unknown, precisely because it is invested with so much of oneself. It is a mystery, containing, like all mysteries, the possibility of torment.” James Baldwin
Love’s Mystery, Emotional Investment, Vulnerability, Human Connection, Relationship Depth
James Baldwin Love’s Mystery, Emotional Investment, Vulnerability, Human Connection, Relationship Depth“It is astonishing the lengths to which a person, or a people, will go in order to avoid a truthful mirror.” James Baldwin
Truthful Mirror, Personal Avoidance, Human Nature, Denial, Self-Deception, Reflection
James Baldwin Truthful Mirror, Personal Avoidance, Human Nature, Denial, Self-Deception, Reflection“The root of the black man’s hatred is rage, and he does not so much hate white men as simply wants them out of his way, and, more than that, out of his children’s way.” James Baldwin
Racial Struggle, Hatred and Rage, Social Justice, Identity Conflict, Cultural Oppression, Generational Struggle
James Baldwin Racial Struggle, Hatred and Rage, Social Justice, Identity Conflict, Cultural Oppression, Generational Struggle“It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians and, although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians is you.” James Baldwin
Perspective, Identity, Historical Injustice, Shock, Representation, Self-Realization
James Baldwin Perspective, Identity, Historical Injustice, Shock, Representation, Self-Realization“Recognizing a problem doesn’t always bring a solution, but until we recognize that problem, there can be no solution.” James Baldwin
Awareness, Problem-Solving, Recognition, Understanding, Solutions
James Baldwin Awareness, Problem-Solving, Recognition, Understanding, Solutions“The body in the mirror forces me to turn and face it. And I look at my body, which is under sentence of death. It is lean, hard, and cold, the incarnation of a mystery. And I do not know what moves in this body, what this body is searching. It is trapped in my mirror as it is trapped in time and it hurries toward revelation.” James Baldwin
Body, Mortality, Mysterious Search, Mirror Reflection, Life’s Sentence, Time And Self
James Baldwin Body, Mortality, Mysterious Search, Mirror Reflection, Life’s Sentence, Time And Self“The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” James Baldwin
Connection, Love’s Fragility, Human Faith, Emotional Bonds, Family Unity, Fragile Trust
James Baldwin Connection, Love’s Fragility, Human Faith, Emotional Bonds, Family Unity, Fragile Trust“And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger, and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky.” James Baldwin
Moment Awareness, Life’s Challenges, Existential Moment, Future Uncertainty, Emotional Weight, Life's Journey
James Baldwin Moment Awareness, Life’s Challenges, Existential Moment, Future Uncertainty, Emotional Weight, Life's Journey“People are full of surprise, even for themselves, if they have been stirred enough.” James Baldwin
Human Nature, Surprise, Emotional Awakening, Self-Discovery, Transformation, Inspiration
James Baldwin Human Nature, Surprise, Emotional Awakening, Self-Discovery, Transformation, Inspiration“The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.” James Baldwin
Opportunity, Change, Freedom, Life Choices, New Beginnings
James Baldwin Opportunity, Change, Freedom, Life Choices, New Beginnings“For nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom.” James Baldwin
Freedom's Burden, Personal Struggle, Human Dilemma, Emotional Conflict, Life Choices, Fear of Freedom
James Baldwin Freedom's Burden, Personal Struggle, Human Dilemma, Emotional Conflict, Life Choices, Fear of Freedom“To act is to be committed, and to be committed is to be in danger.” James Baldwin
Action Commitment, Danger Risk, Life Choices, Emotional Investment, Personal Risk, Courageous Act
James Baldwin Action Commitment, Danger Risk, Life Choices, Emotional Investment, Personal Risk, Courageous Act“But the relationship of morality and power is a very subtle one. Because ultimately power without morality is no longer power.” James Baldwin
Morality and Power, Ethical Leadership, Power Dynamics, Political Integrity, Corruption, Social Justice
James Baldwin Morality and Power, Ethical Leadership, Power Dynamics, Political Integrity, Corruption, Social Justice“Precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience you must find yourself at war with your society.” James Baldwin
Conscience, Social Conflict, Inner Struggle, Awareness, Societal Critique
James Baldwin Conscience, Social Conflict, Inner Struggle, Awareness, Societal Critique“Ages ago, in another city, on another bus, I sat so at the windows, looking outward, inventing for each flying face which trapped my brief attention some life, some destiny, in which I played a part. I was looking for some whisper, or promise, of my possible salvation. But it seemed to me that morning that my ancient self had been dreaming the most dangerous dream of all.” James Baldwin
Dreams, Personal Salvation, Dangerous Thoughts, Observation, Reflection, Searching Souls
James Baldwin Dreams, Personal Salvation, Dangerous Thoughts, Observation, Reflection, Searching Souls