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
Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.
Interpretation
Love is complex and evolves over time through challenges and personal growth.
In this quote, James A. Baldwin highlights the multifaceted nature of love, suggesting that it is not simply a feeling or a momentary emotion but rather a continuous journey that involves struggle, perseverance, and personal development. Love can often feel like a battle or a war due to the conflicts and challenges couples face, yet it also signifies growth as individuals learn to navigate their relationships over time.
In practice
A speaker at a wedding might use this quote to illustrate the journey of love that the couple will experience together.
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.
The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
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.
Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
Separated lovers cheat absence by a thousand fancies which have their own reality. They are prevented from seeing one another and they cannot write; nevertheless they find countless mysterious ways of corresponding, by sending each other the song of birds, the scent of flowers, the laughter of children.
She was truly a beautiful girl. I could feel a small polished stone sinking through the darkest waters of my heart. All those deep convoluted channels and passageways, and yet she managed to toss her pebble right down to the bottom of it all.
He loves but little who can say and count in words, how much he loves.
Love said to me, there is nothing that is not me. Be silent.
To love one person with a private love is poor and miserable: to love all is glorious.
What I wanted to do was to fasten my index finger and thumb at the bolts of your collar bone, push out, spread the web of my hand until it caught against your throat. You asked me if I wanted to strangle you. No, I wanted to fit you, not just in the obvious ways but in so many indentations.
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