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
To be with God is really to be involved in some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the profound and uncontrollable relationship between humanity and the divine, emphasizing a sense of joy and power in that connection.
In this quote, Baldwin suggests that the experience of being with God transcends human understanding and control, embodying a deep, overwhelming desire and a joy that is beyond personal agency. This relationship is characterized by a balance of power where the divine influence shapes one's life in profound ways, highlighting the complexity of spirituality and the human condition.
Themes
GodJoyPowerDesireSpiritualityControl
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a sermon to emphasize the joy and power of faith.
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
Similar quotes
The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.
Harper LeeRead
Actual life was chaos, but there was something terribly logical in the imagination. It was the imagination that set remorse to dog the feet of sin. It was the imagination that made each crime bear its misshapen brood. In the common world of fact the wicked were not punished, nor the good rewarded. Success was given to the strong, failure thrust upon the weak. That was all.
Oscar WildeRead
We chart delusions through collective agreement.
Siri HustvedtRead
Nada is found within. It is a music without strings which plays in the body. It penetrates the inner and outer and leads you away from illusion.
KabirRead
All things began in Order, so shall they end, and so shall they begin again, according to the Ordainer of Order, and the mystical mathematicks of the City of Heaven.
Thomas BrowneRead
The challenge here is to design a system where market incentives, including profits and recognition, drive those principles to do more for the poor. I like to call this idea creative capitalism, an approach where governments, businesses, and nonprofits work together to stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or gain recognition, doing work that eases the world's inequities.
Bill GatesRead