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The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.

James Baldwin

Education is indoctrination if you’re white – subjugation if you’re black.
JAMES BALDWIN

Black Black Lives Matter Education White
Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated, and this was an immutable law.
JAMES BALDWIN

Destroy Failure Hate Hatred Law Man
Whoever debases others is debasing himself.
JAMES BALDWIN

Debased Life Love One Liner
If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.
JAMES BALDWIN

Concept God Love Religion Time Validity
I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.
JAMES BALDWIN

Deal Fear Hate Imagination Pain People Reason
The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.
JAMES BALDWIN

Art Hide Purpose
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
JAMES BALDWIN

Children Imitate Listen Parents
It is very nearly impossible to become an educated person in a country so distrustful of the independent mind.
JAMES BALDWIN

Distrustful Education Freedom Impossible Independence Mind Person
There is a fearful splendor in absolute desolation.
JAMES BALDWIN

Absolute Desolation Fear One Liner Splendor
No man is a devil in his own mind.
JAMES BALDWIN

Deep Devil Human Man Mind One Liner
We all commit our crimes. The thing is to not lie about them.
JAMES BALDWIN

Acceptance Commit Crime Lie
The victim who is able to articulate the situation of the victim has ceased to be a victim: he or she has become a threat.
JAMES BALDWIN

Situation Threat Victim Women
Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.
JAMES BALDWIN

Affliction Crutch Desire Frightened Release
It is easy to proclaim all souls equal in the sight of God; it is hard to make men equal on earth in the sight of men.
JAMES BALDWIN

Claim Earth Equality God Men Sight Soul
There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.
JAMES BALDWIN

Pain People Suffering
It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.
JAMES BALDWIN

Alive Connect People Teaching

The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.

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The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.

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Popular Authors

More James Baldwin Quotes