The job of the writer is to take a close and uncomfortable look at the world they inhabit, the world we all inhabit, and the job of the novel is to make the corpse stink.
Walter MosleyRead
Our collective freedom... depends on our ability to defend the rights of others.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Defending the rights of others is essential for ensuring our own freedom.
This quote by Walter Mosley emphasizes the interconnectedness of individual freedoms and the obligation to protect the rights of others in society. It suggests that our own liberty is not fully realized unless we advocate for and stand up for the freedoms of those around us, highlighting the importance of solidarity and mutual respect in a just society.
Themes
FreedomRightsCollectiveDefendSolidarity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social justice, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of advocacy.
More from Walter Mosley
All quotes →At one time if you were a black writer you had to be one of the best writers in the world to be published. You had to be great. Now you can be good. Mediocre. And that's good.
Walter MosleyRead
My father cared about the world he lived in, and so he admitted his confusion about his place in America because he didn't want me to make the same mistake in my life.
Walter MosleyRead
Many & most moments go by with us hardly aware of their passage. But love & hate & fear cause time to snag you, to drag you down like a spider's web holding fast to a doomed fly's wings. And when you're caught like that you're aware of every moment & movement & nuance.
Walter MosleyRead
We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.
Walter MosleyRead
All writing is that structure of revelation. There's something you want to find out. If you know everything up front in the beginning, you really don't need to read further if there's nothing else to find out.
Walter MosleyRead
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A few hours of mountain climbing make a blackguard and a saint two rather similar creatures.
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The difference between theism and nontheism is not whether one does or does not believe in God. . . Theism is a deep-seated conviction that there's some hand to hold: if we just do the right things, someone will appreciate us and take care of us. . . Nontheism is relaxing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the present moment without reaching for anything to protect ourselves.
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Discrimination is not liberal. Arguing against discrimination is not intolerance.
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