You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things… - James Baldwin

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You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.

pain empathy books reading
English
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About James Baldwin

James Arthur Baldwin (2 August 1924 – 1 December 1987) was an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, and social critic.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Birth Name: James Arthur Baldwin
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Shorter versions of this quote

You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.
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It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.
observational
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Originators like James Baldwin:
Salman Rushdie Ursula K. Le Guin Saul Bellow Ralph Ellison Iris Murdoch

Additional quotes by James Baldwin

The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.
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