It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
James A. BaldwinRead
You took the best, so why not take the rest?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that after receiving something valuable, one should be open to accepting more, whether it's love, happiness, or opportunities.
James A. Baldwin's quote speaks to the human tendency to hold back from fully embracing what life offers after experiencing the best. It encourages an attitude of abundance and the willingness to accept further joys and experiences that can enrich our lives, reminding us that we deserve more than just a part of what is good.
Themes
AcceptanceAbundanceOpportunityLifeJoy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing goals and dreams.
More from James A. Baldwin
All quotes βThe white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
James A. BaldwinRead
Those kids aren't dumb. But the people who run these schools want to make sure they don't get smart: they are really teaching the kids to be slaves.
James A. BaldwinRead
Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
James A. BaldwinRead
The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
James A. BaldwinRead
The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
James A. BaldwinRead
Similar quotes
It made me start to wonder if there were other people so lonely so close. I thought about βEleanor Rigby.β Itβs true, where do they all come from? And where do they all belong?
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
I don't pay attention to a lot of people - I pay attention to a select few, and that's worked out well for me.
Maya MooreRead
If you haven't forgiven yourself something, how can you forgive others?
Dolores HuertaRead
Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a sense that we are one community, one family. Really, we are the American family.
John LewisRead
It's very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It's easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.
Fred RogersRead
I have now been married to my third husband for more than 20 years. But when you've had children with someone you're divorced from, divorce defines everything; it's the lurking fact, a slice of anger in the pie of your brain.
Nora EphronRead