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by Sandra Williams
Writer James Baldwin’s experience of life, and as a writer affirms what Romantic poet, Shelly wrote in Defense of Poetry…”Poets [writers/artists) are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" … profoundly influencing societal values, morality, and law—even if they do not hold formal political power.
On change
Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is
The New York Times
On society
The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.
The Fire Next Time
On success
Those who say “It can’t be done,” are usually interrupted by others doing it.
Notes of a Native Son.
On justice
It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.
If one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected—those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most!—and listens to their testimony.”
No Name in the Street.
On education
The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.
A Talk to Teachers
On belief
The betrayal of a belief is not the same thing as ceasing to believe. Harpers magazine
On oppression
Whatever white people do not know about Negroes reveals, precisely and inexorably, what they do not know about themselves. The Fire Next Time
On law and order
Does the law exist for the purpose of furthering the ambitions of those who have sworn to uphold the law, or is it seriously to be considered as a moral, unifying force, the health and strength of a nation? No Name on the Street
On reading
You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. LIFE magazine
On perseverance
And once you realize that you can do something, it would be difficult to live with yourself if you didn’t do it.The Paris Review
On disrespect
People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned.
No Name on the Street
On hate
I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. Notes of a Native Son
On Light
For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard There isn’t any other tale to tell. It’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness. Sonny’s Blues
*Sandra Williams is a writer of poetry, fiction and essays. She believes writing is both therapeutic and enlightening: “When we become aware of what inspires us, our imagination is expanded, and we tap into our intuitive selves.” She and her husband, Robert, local landscape and mural painter live in Gilbertsville, PA and part-time in Rockport, MA. She is author of Moss on Stone: an historical novella and Time and Tide: a collection of tales (available on Amazon). Other writings at www.cosmicseanotes.blogspot.com
More News from Boyertown
- The Almanac Diaries of Schwenkfelder David Schultz Diaries and journals are invaluable to historians in humanizing the past and providing the "spirit of the age" through the minds of those who lived through it.
- Why Do Snowy Owls Only Visit Our Area in Certain Years? This year, much to their delight, local birders and fans of the snowy owl are treated to an irruption year.
