We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered.
James Weldon JohnsonRead
Nothing great or enduring, especially in music, has ever sprung full-fledged and unprecedented from the brain of any master; the best he gives to the world he gathers from the hearts of the people, and runs it through the alembic of his genius.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great art, particularly music, is rooted in collective human experience and emotions rather than originating solely from the artist's imagination.
James Weldon Johnson's quote emphasizes that the creation of significant and lasting art, such as music, is not just an individual effort but a synthesis of the emotions and experiences of the community. Artists draw inspiration from the shared feelings of the people, transforming these collective insights through their unique imaginative processes to produce art that resonates deeply with others.
Themes
MusicArtCreationCommunityInspiration
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the influence of culture on music, this quote can illustrate how artists capture communal sentiments.
More from James Weldon Johnson
All quotes →There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.
James Weldon JohnsonRead
O Black and unknown bards of long ago, How came your lips to touch the sacred fire?
James Weldon JohnsonRead
The battle was first waged over the right of the Negro to be classed as a human being with a soul; later, as to whether he had sufficient intellect to master even the rudiments of learning; and today it is being fought out over his social recognition.
James Weldon JohnsonRead
I believe it to be a fact that the colored people of this country know and understand the white people better than the white people know and understand them.
James Weldon JohnsonRead
It is a struggle; for though the black man fights passively, he nevertheless fights; and his passive resistance is more effective at present than active resistance could possibly be. He bears the fury of the storm as does the willow tree.
James Weldon JohnsonRead
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