James A. Baldwin

Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity, by definition, is unassailable. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#definition #heart #himself #his #imagines

Pessimists are the people who have no hope for themselves or for others. Pessimists are also people who think the human race is beneath their notice, that they're better than other human beings. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#beings #beneath #better #hope #human

The noblest spirit is most strongly attracted by the love of glory. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#glory #love #most #noblest #spirit

The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#came #leave #need #take #world

The writer's greed is appalling. He wants, or seems to want, everything and practically everybody, in another sense, and at the same time, he needs no one at all. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#appalling #everybody #everything #greed #needs

The young think that failure is the Siberian end of the line, banishment from all the living, and tend to do what I then did - which was to hide. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#did #end #failure #hide #i

There is a "sanctity" involved with bringing a child into this world: it is better than bombing one out of it. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#bombing #bringing #child #into #involved

To act is to be committed, and to be committed is to be in danger. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#committed #danger

Voyagers discover that the world can never be larger than the person that is in the world; but it is impossible to foresee this, it is impossible to be warned. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#foresee #impossible #larger #never #person

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. ↗

— James A. Baldwin

#cannot #fear #know #live #masks