Words like freedom, justice, democracy are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply. – James Baldwin
It is a very rare man who does not victimize the helpless. – James Baldwin
There is a sanctity involved with bringing a child into this world: it is better than bombing one out of it. – James Baldwin
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself. – James Baldwin
Always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew. – Marcus Aurelius