Rym

“In any event, the sloppy and fatuous nature of American good will can never be relied upon to deal with hard problems. These have been dealt with, when they have been dealt with at all, out of necessity - and in political terms, anyway, necessity means concessions made in order to stay on top.”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

“Well," I said, feeling myself being led by Giovanni into deep and dangerous water, "I guess people wait in order to be sure of what they feel."
"In order to make sure!" He turned again to that invisible ally and laughed again. I was beginning, perhaps, to find his phantom a little unnerving but the sound of his laughter in that airless tunnel was the most incredible sound. "It's clear that you are a true philosopher." He pointed a finger at my heart. "And when you have waited - has it made you sure?”
― James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room

“He had some weird idea that it would be nice to have a bookcase sunk in the wall and he chipped through the wall until he came to the brick and began pounding away at the brick. It was hard work, it was insane work, but I did not have the energy or the heart to stop him. In a way he was doing it for me, to prove his love for me. He wanted me to stay in the room with him. Perhaps he was trying, with his own strength, to push back the encroaching walls, without, however, having the walls fall down.”
― James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room

“En France, les patrons sont obligés d'être bons, il y a des lois pour les rendre bons. Oui, c'est bien ça, il faut faire tant et plus de lois pour que les patrons soient obligés d'être bons. Parce que d'eux-mêmes ils ne le seront pas.”
― Elsa Triolet, Le cheval blanc