It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
James A. BaldwinRead
Color is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Color influences societal structures and perceptions, transcending individual experiences.
James A. Baldwin's quote emphasizes that color, particularly in the context of race, is not merely an aesthetic or personal characteristic but profoundly impacts social and political dynamics. It suggests that the implications of color are deeply rooted in societal constructs and power relations, influencing identity, perception, and the treatment of individuals within various communities.
Themes
ColorPoliticsSocietyIdentityRace
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on race and identity at a local community center.
More from James A. Baldwin
All quotes βThe white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
James A. BaldwinRead
Those kids aren't dumb. But the people who run these schools want to make sure they don't get smart: they are really teaching the kids to be slaves.
James A. BaldwinRead
Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
James A. BaldwinRead
The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
James A. BaldwinRead
The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
James A. BaldwinRead
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Oh, they never lie. They dissemble, evade, prevaricate, confound, confuse, distract, obscure, subtly misrepresent and willfully misunderstand with what often appears to be a positively gleeful relish and are generally perfectly capable of contriving to give one an utterly unambiguous impression of their future course of action while in fact intending to do exactly the opposite, but they never lie. Perish the thought.
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We are 6.6 billion people now. We can only feed 4 billion. I don't see 2 billion volunteers to disappear.
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...it's easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time.
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The furies are at home in the mirror; it is their address. Even the clearest water, if deep enough can drown. Never think to surprise them. Your face approaching ever so friendly is the white flag they ignore. There is no truce with the furies. A mirror's temperature is always zero. It is ice in the veins. It's camera is an x-ray. It is a chalice held out to you in silent communion, where gaspingly you partake of a shifting identity never your own.
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deeds cannot dream what dreams can do
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