Amiri Baraka Quotes
The man who buried Malcolm X - my Muslim imam, priest - he, after I got beat up by police... came to me, and he said, 'You don't need this American name.' And I was susceptible to it at the time because, God knows, I had just gotten whipped near to death. So he gave me an Arab name; he gave me the name Amir Barakat.
Quotes to Explore
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I think a strong dollar is the result of policies, but I don't think the strong dollar is in and of itself a policy.
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I went to bed last night dreaming of tuna melts. I love food.
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God made a mistake with me. I'm actually black, trapped in a white body.
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That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes.
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All the time I was writing hit songs with my partner David Porter, I always had the yen to perform. Sure did. And when the opportunity came, I took it. The first album, 'Presenting Isaac Hayes,' didn't do so hot, but it was like a prelude for what was to come.
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I was living as a young single mom. I was 19 when I was divorced, and my daughter was a year old, and I waited tables here three to four nights a week for several years while I was trying to support myself and my daughter and the day I got that acceptance at Harvard Law School was an unforgettable day.
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I don't like controversy.
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One of the problems with posing a 'bold new plan' is that you can't just extrapolate from previous plans.
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I warm up with my mom and make sure I understand what the songs are about and make sure I'm using the right technique. To be honest with you, I really don't practice a lot... Usually, I say a prayer and ask the Lord to sing with me and help me and stand on the stage with me.
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When people refer to 'Back in the Day,' it was a Wednesday. Just a little fun fact for you.
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I grew up on Marvel and, like, '2000 AD.'
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I grew up in California, and when I read that Proposition 8 was on the ballot, I was disappointed because it seemed to be inconsistent with the spirit of the state, with the independence and diversity of the frontier that California has always been.
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I might go on discussing this subject at great length, but after all is said, done, and written, my own book of experiences will best show what these obstacles are, and how I managed to overcome them to some extent.
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The so-called skills gap is really a gap in education, and that affects all of us.
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Happiness exists only if you have a lot of people to share it with.
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There's some quality you get when you're not totally comfortable. When you're not doing what you're used to, you could completely fall on your face. You could completely blow it.
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The little trouble in the world that is not due to love is due to friendship.
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When I started as a child actor, my father didn't tell me anything.
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Preachers must always fight the temptation to preach anything but Christ and Him crucified.
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When I interview someone, I know in the first two minutes if I like them or not. I find that if it's easy to talk to someone and I see an openness and honesty and integrity, then I usually hire them.
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My parents didn't give me any scope to feel sorry for myself. They were just like 'go play with your brother, go climb a tree, go fall off your motorbike, do whatever you want. Don't come crying to us when you get scratched. You've got prosthetic legs - that's very nice.'
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The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realize that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said, 'What'd I do? What'd I do?' And he said, 'Whatever it is, go back and do it again.'
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His wife is, it occurs to Harry, a channel that can't be switched. The same slightly too-high forehead, the same dumb stubborn slot of a mouth, day after day, same time, same station.
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The man who buried Malcolm X - my Muslim imam, priest - he, after I got beat up by police... came to me, and he said, 'You don't need this American name.' And I was susceptible to it at the time because, God knows, I had just gotten whipped near to death. So he gave me an Arab name; he gave me the name Amir Barakat.
