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
Freedom is a hard-bought thing and millions are in chains, but they strain toward the new day drawing near.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom requires struggle and effort, especially for those who are oppressed.
This quote reflects the value and difficulty of achieving freedom, emphasizing that while many people remain oppressed, their desire for a better future drives them. It highlights the notion that freedom is not easily obtained; it requires resilience and hard work as individuals and communities strive for liberation and a brighter tomorrow.
Themes
FreedomStruggleOppressionHopeResilience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for social justice, one might quote this to inspire action.
More from Paul Robeson
All quotes βWe ask for nothing that is not ours by right, and herein lies the great moral power of our demand.
Paul RobesonRead
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.
Paul RobesonRead
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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