There's a kind of optimism specifically within Christianity about the world - about whose side God is on. Well, I didn't have any of that in my background. I had physicality and chaos.
You can live in the world of myth and be taken seriously.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that embracing myths can lead to genuine recognition and respect in society.
Ta-Nehisi Coates highlights the significance of myth in shaping our understanding of reality. Myths, whether personal or cultural, hold power in influencing perceptions and beliefs. By engaging with these narratives, individuals can navigate the complexities of the world and still be impactful and respected. The quote emphasizes that even in a seemingly rational world, the stories we tell and the myths we uphold play a vital role in how we are perceived and valued.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about personal identity, one could use this quote to discuss how personal narratives shape our lives.
More from Ta-Nehisi Coates
All quotes →We've got in the habit of not really understanding how freedom was in the 19th century, the idea of government of the people in the 19th century. America commits itself to that in theory.
I never expected my writing to become as popular as it did.
It's hard for me to view Baltimore outside the context of what Baltimore has always been in my mind: a violent place.
If I could have anything - you know, and this is across the board for any presidential candidate - I would have a greater acknowledgment of history in our policy and in our affairs.
You can't make a direct comparison between middle-class African Americans and middle-class white Americans, affluent African Americans and affluent white Americans. The amount of wealth tends to be less.
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What politicians do is they never get the rhetoric wrong, and the price they pay is they don't speak the truth as they see it. Now, I will speak truth as I see it, and sometimes I don't get the rhetoric right. I think that's a fair trade-off.
I ask no risen dust to teach me immortality; I am conscious of eternal life.
What we see at the cross is the white-hot revelation of the character of God, of his love providing the price that holiness requires. The cross was his means of redeeming lost sinners and reconciling them to himself, but it was also a profound disclosure of his mercy. It is, in Paul’s words, an ‘inexpressible gift’ that leads us to wonder and worship, to praise and adore the God who has given himself to us in this way.
Animals used to provide a lowlife way to kill and get away with it, as they do still, but, more intriguingly, for some people they are an aperture through which wounds drain. The scapegoat of olden times, driven off for the bystanders sins, has become a tender thing, a running injury. There, running away is me: hurt it and you are hurting me.