Jacqueline Smith

“It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death-- ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life. One is responsible to life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall return. One must negotiate this passage as nobly as possible, for the sake of those who are coming after us.”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

“If you ain't native to a place, you have a better chance of becoming a gentleman in it.”
― George Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin

“Whatever was said or done, I knew what I wanted; and that was to be a boy among the boys.”
― George Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin

“Privately, we cannot stand our lives and dare not examine them; domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on in our country; and internationally, for millions of people, we are an unmitigated disaster.”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time