American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.
JAMES BALDWINLife is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time.
More James Baldwin Quotes
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Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark.
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The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.
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People who believe that they are strong-willed and the masters of their destiny can only continue to believe this by becoming specialists in self-deception.
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For nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom.
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No man is a devil in his own mind.
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It is very nearly impossible to become an educated person in a country so distrustful of the independent mind.
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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.
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Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.
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Confusion is a luxury which only the very, very young can possibly afford and you are not that young anymore.
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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.
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Trust life, and it will teach you, in joy and sorrow, all you need to know.
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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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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.
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Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.
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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