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.
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I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom
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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.
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