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
Years ago, when he was around fourteen, he'd been all hipped on the idea of going to India. He read books about people sitting on rocks, naked, in all kinds of weather, but mostly bad, naturally, and walking barefoot through hot coals and arriving at wisdom. I used to say that it sounded to me as though they were getting away from wisdom as fast as they could. I think he sort of looked down on me for that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a skepticism about the pursuit of wisdom through extreme experiences.
In this quote, James A. Baldwin critiques the romanticized notion of seeking wisdom through hardship and extreme practices in distant places like India. The speaker suggests that the quest for wisdom may actually lead people away from true understanding, highlighting a tension between superficial experiences and genuine insight.
Themes
WisdomExperienceSkepticismUnderstandingKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a discussion about the importance of practical experience versus theoretical knowledge.
More from James A. Baldwin
All quotes →The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
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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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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.
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