I've learned that my people are not the only ones oppressed... I have sung my songs all over the world and everywhere found that some common bond makes the people of all lands take to Negro songs as their own.
Paul RobesonRead
Every artist, every scientist, every writer must decide now where he stands. The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or for slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Artists must choose their beliefs and values, aligning themselves with either freedom or oppression.
In this quote, Paul Robeson emphasizes the responsibility of artists, scientists, and writers to consciously choose their stance on important issues, particularly in relation to freedom and oppression. He suggests that an artist cannot be neutral; they must actively promote ideals that either support liberty or contribute to subjugation, reflecting the profound impact that art and creation have on societal values and personal identity.
Themes
ArtistFreedomChoiceOppressionResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the role of creativity in social movements.
More from Paul Robeson
All quotes →We ask for nothing that is not ours by right, and herein lies the great moral power of our demand.
Paul RobesonRead
My mother was born in your state, Mr. Walter, and my mother was a Quaker, and my ancestors in the time of Washington baked bread for George Washington's troops when they crossed the Delaware, and my own father was a slave.
Paul RobesonRead
The intolerance of the few, or the risk of it, carries the day against the wider humanity of the many.
Paul RobesonRead
I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom
Paul RobesonRead
And at home in the United States we found continued and increased persecution, first of leaders of the Communist Party, and then of all honest anti-fascists.
Paul RobesonRead
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