There's a kind of optimism specifically within Christianity about the world - about whose side God is on. Well, I didn't have any of that in my background. I had physicality and chaos.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
My chief identity, to my mind, was not 'writer' but 'college dropout.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how Ta-Nehisi Coates views his identity more through his experience of dropping out of college than through his profession as a writer.
Ta-Nehisi Coates expresses a profound connection to his experience as a college dropout, suggesting that it shaped his identity significantly more than his career as a writer. This perspective reflects a belief that personal experiences, especially those perceived as failures or unconventional paths, can be integral to oneβs identity and narrative. Coates implies that societal labels such as 'writer' are less important than the realities of individual journeys and experiences.
Themes
IdentityCollegeDropoutWriterExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech discussing unconventional paths to success.
More from Ta-Nehisi Coates
All quotes βWe've got in the habit of not really understanding how freedom was in the 19th century, the idea of government of the people in the 19th century. America commits itself to that in theory.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
I never expected my writing to become as popular as it did.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
It's hard for me to view Baltimore outside the context of what Baltimore has always been in my mind: a violent place.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
If I could have anything - you know, and this is across the board for any presidential candidate - I would have a greater acknowledgment of history in our policy and in our affairs.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
You can't make a direct comparison between middle-class African Americans and middle-class white Americans, affluent African Americans and affluent white Americans. The amount of wealth tends to be less.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
Similar quotes
Children are not simply commodities to be herded into line and trained for the jobs that white people who live in segregated neighborhoods have available.
Jonathan KozolRead
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
Alain De BottonRead
Over a long period of time, the main force in favor of greater equality has been the diffusion of knowledge and skills.
Thomas PikettyRead
We recognize that real educational reform is essential if today's and tomorrow's children are to live in a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
Often the grind of book promotion wearies you of your own book - though at the same time this frees you from its clutches.
Julian BarnesRead
The best time to plan a book is while you're doing the dishes.
Agatha ChristieRead