Nothing came easy. I was just born with a need to explore every part of my mind. And with long searching and hard work, I became devoted to my restlessness.
Gordon ParksRead
I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gordon Parks believed that photography could be a powerful tool for social change.
In this quote, Gordon Parks expresses his realization that the camera is not merely a device for taking pictures, but a potent instrument that can expose and confront social injustices such as poverty and racism. This revelation drove him to pursue photography as a means to document reality and advocate for change, illustrating the profound impact art can have in highlighting societal issues.
Themes
CameraPhotographySocial ChangeInjusticeArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on social activism, one might use this quote to emphasize the role of art in advocacy.
More from Gordon Parks
All quotes βI suffered evils, but without allowing them to rob me of the freedom to expand.
Gordon ParksRead
You know, the camera is not meant just to show misery.
Gordon ParksRead
If you don't have anything to say, your photographs aren't going to say much.
Gordon ParksRead
The camera could be a very powerful instrument against discrimination, against poverty, against racism.
Gordon ParksRead
And I think that after nearly 85 years upon this planet that I have a right after working so hard at showing the desolation and the poverty, to show something beautiful for somebody as well.
Gordon ParksRead
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Painting doesn't freeze time. It circulates and recycles time like a wheel that turns. Those who were first might well be last. Painting is a very slow art. It doesn't travel with the speed of light. That's why dead painters shine so bright.
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Black writers, of whatever quality, who step outside the pale of what black writers are supposed to write about, or who black writers are supposed to be, are condemned to silences in black literary circles that are as total and as destructive as any imposed by racism.
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The stronger the participation of the female characters, the better the movie. They knew that in the old days, when women stars were equally as important as men.
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I don't think writers choose the genre, the genre chooses us. I wrote out of the wish to create order out of disorder, the liking of a pattern.
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