It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
James A. BaldwinRead
You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way... people look at reality, then you can change it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing has the power to influence and change perceptions of the world, even if just slightly.
In this quote, James A. Baldwin emphasizes the transformative power of literature and writing. He acknowledges that while a single piece of writing may not change the world in a grand way, it possesses the potential to shift how individuals perceive reality, demonstrating that small changes in perspective can lead to significant changes in the world at large.
Themes
WritingChangeWorldLiteraturePerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of literature in social movements.
More from James A. Baldwin
All quotes βThe white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
James A. BaldwinRead
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.
James A. BaldwinRead
Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
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The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
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The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
James A. BaldwinRead
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I am intrigued with the shapes people choose as their symbols to create a language. There is within all forms a basic structure, an indication of the entire object with a minimum of lines that becomes a symbol. This is common to all languages, all people, all times.
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Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.
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Art is a spirit seeking flesh but finding words.
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The dream is not a map. A poem is not the territory. The dreamer reclines in a barbershop carpeted with Afro turf. In the dark some soul yells. It hurts to walk barefoot on cowrie shells.
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