I've learned that my people are not the only ones oppressed... I have sung my songs all over the world and everywhere found that some common bond makes the people of all lands take to Negro songs as their own.
Paul RobesonRead
I feel closer to my country than ever. There is no longer a feeling of lonesome isolation. Instead-peace. I return without fearing prejudice that once bothered me . . . for I know that people practice cruel bigotry in their ignorance, not maliciously
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a newfound connection to one's country and a sense of peace despite previous experiences of prejudice.
Paul Robeson's quote reflects his journey from feeling isolated and fearful due to the prejudice he faced to a place of peace and understanding. He recognizes that the cruelty of bigotry often stems from ignorance rather than malice, suggesting a more empathetic perspective towards those who harbor such beliefs and an embrace of his identity and connection to his country.
Themes
CountryPrejudicePeaceIgnoranceBigotry
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about national unity and acceptance.
More from Paul Robeson
All quotes →We ask for nothing that is not ours by right, and herein lies the great moral power of our demand.
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My mother was born in your state, Mr. Walter, and my mother was a Quaker, and my ancestors in the time of Washington baked bread for George Washington's troops when they crossed the Delaware, and my own father was a slave.
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The intolerance of the few, or the risk of it, carries the day against the wider humanity of the many.
Paul RobesonRead
I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom
Paul RobesonRead
And at home in the United States we found continued and increased persecution, first of leaders of the Communist Party, and then of all honest anti-fascists.
Paul RobesonRead
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