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
I had never before thought of how awful the relationship must be between the musician and his instrument. He has to fill it, this instrument, with the breath of life, his own. He has to make it do what he wants it to do. And a piano is just a piano. It's made out of so much wood and wires and little hammers and big ones, and ivory. While there's only so much you can do with it, the only way to find this out is to try; to try and make it do everything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the deep relationship between a musician and their instrument, emphasizing the effort and creativity required to bring music to life.
James A. Baldwin's quote highlights the often overlooked bond between a musician and their instrument, portraying the instrument as a lifeless object that requires the musician's breath of life to truly express itself. This relationship is one of both challenge and exploration, as the musician must experiment and invest themselves into their instrument to uncover its potential and depth of sound.
Themes
MusicMusicianInstrumentCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education, this quote could emphasize the partnership between artists and their tools.
More from James A. Baldwin
All quotes →The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
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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.
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Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
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The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
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The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
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