If people have to put labels on me, I'd prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, and the third to be folk singer.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of identity beyond societal labels, focusing on fundamental humanity.
Joan Baez expresses a desire for her identity to be rooted in her humanity rather than any superficial labels society might place on her. By prioritizing her identity as a 'human being', she highlights the universal qualities that unite all people, while the secondary labels of 'pacifist' and 'folk singer' reflect her values and passions, promoting peace and art.
In practice
In a speech about self-identity, this quote can emphasize the significance of how we define ourselves.
I would say that I'm a nonviolent soldier. In place of weapons of violence, you have to use your mind, your heart, your sense of humor, every faculty available to you...because no one has the right to take the life of another human being.
The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.
The hardest song to write is a protest song, a topical song with meaning.
That's all nonviolence is - organized love.
To sing is to love and affirm, _x000D_ to fly and to soar, _x000D_ to coast into the hearts of the people _x000D_ who listen _x000D_ to tell them that life is to live, _x000D_ that love is there, _x000D_ that nothing is a promise, _x000D_ but that beauty exists, _x000D_ and must be hunted for and found.
The foundation of my beliefs is the same as it was when I was 10. Non-violence.
Growing up on our estate, we were all different colours, but we were all really poor. I never really realised that black was a problem for some people.
Even the 'Negro' shows like 'Amos and Andy' and 'Beulah' are written largely by white writers - the better to preserve the stereotypes, I imagine.
Did he understand, as those interminable minutes ticked by, that being alone is not the same as being lonely? That being alone is a neutral state⦠something that exists only in the mind, not in the world, and, like a virus, is unable to survive without a willing host?
I congratulate myself on not having arrived into the world until the present time. This age suits my taste.
By raising Christ from death, God as the supreme Judge set his seal to the absolute perfection and completeness of his atoning work. The resurrection is a public announcement to the world that the penalty of death has been borne by Christ to its bitter end and that in consequence the dominion of guilt has been broken, the curse annihilated forever more.
No human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?
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