Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
Nina SimoneRead
You feel the shame, humiliation, and anger at being just another victim of prejudice, and at the same time, there's the nagging worry that maybe... you're just no good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the emotional turmoil faced by victims of prejudice, blending feelings of shame and self-doubt.
Nina Simone's quote explores the deep emotional effects of prejudice on individuals, highlighting not only the external forces of shame, humiliation, and anger but also the internal struggle with self-worth that victims may experience. It emphasizes how societal biases can lead to a complex sense of identity crisis, where individuals question their own value in addition to feeling victimized by others.
Themes
PrejudiceVictimShameSelf-WorthEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social justice at a community meeting.
More from Nina Simone
All quotes →Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
Nina SimoneRead
I only knew classical music, which to me was the only true music. The only way I could survive at the bar was to mix the classical music with popular songs, and that meant I had to sing. What happened was that I discovered I had a voice plus the talent to mix classical music together with more popular songs, which at the time I detested.
Nina SimoneRead
Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.
Nina SimoneRead
I didn't get interested in music. It was a gift from God.
Nina SimoneRead
This may be a dream, but I'll say it anyway: I was supposed to be married last year, and I bought a gown. When I meet Nelson Mandela, I shall put on this gown and have the train of it removed and put aside, and kiss the ground that he walks on and then kiss his feet.
Nina SimoneRead
Similar quotes
I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.
Dwight D. EisenhowerRead
It’ll be the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death. And if you’re not ready to pay that price don’t use the word freedom in your vocabulary.
Malcolm XRead
Few of us will do the spectacular deeds of heroism that spread themselves across the pages of our newspapers in big black headlines. But we can all be heroic in the little things of everyday life. We can do the helpful things, say the kind words, meet our difficulties with courage and high hearts, stand up for the right when the cost is high, keep our word even though it means sacrifice, be a giver instead of a destroyer. Often this quiet, humble heroism is the greatest heroism of all.
Wilferd PetersonRead
If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help.
Catherine Zeta-JonesRead
If tonight our people were asked to cast their vote whether a convention should be entered into to stop the bombing of cities, the overwhelming majority would cry, "We will mete out to them [the Germans] the measure, and more than the measure, that they have meted out to us... We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best."
Winston ChurchillRead
Obviously, because of my disability, I need assistance. But I have always tried to overcome the limitations of my condition and lead as full a life as possible. I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity.
Stephen HawkingRead