"Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden," Jacques said. And … - James Baldwin

"Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden," Jacques said. And then: "I wonder why."
...
Everyone, after all, goes the same dark road — and the road has a trick of being most dark, most treacherous, when it seems most bright — and it's true that nobody stays in the garden of Eden.
... Perhaps everybody has a garden of Eden, I don't know; but they have scarcely seen their garden before they see the flaming sword. Then, perhaps, life only offers the choice of remembering the garden or forgetting it. Either, or: it takes strength to remember, it takes another type of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both. People who remember court madness through pain, the pain of the perpetually recurring death of their innocence; people who forget court another kind of madness, the madness of the denial of the pain and the hatred of innocence; and the world is mostly divided between madmen who remember and madmen who forget. Heroes are rare.

James Baldwin

Giovanni’s Room · June 1, 2000 Verified in 1 source Sign up to see the complete provenance

garden-of-eden heroes innocence-lost life-choices madness innocence denial pain strength

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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.

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Also Known As

Birth Name: James Arthur Baldwin

Alternative Names: Jimmy Baldwin

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Shorter versions of this quote

"Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden," Jacques said. And then: "I wonder why."

'Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden,' Jacques said. And then: 'I wonder why.'
I have thought about Jacques' question since. Everyone, after all, goes the same dark road — and the road has a trick of being most dark, most treacherous, when it seems most bright — and it's true that nobody stays in the garden of Eden. Perhaps everybody has a garden of Eden, I don't know; but they have scarcely seen their garden before they see the flaming sword. Then, perhaps, life only offers the choice of remembering the garden or forgetting it. Either, or.

Originators like James Baldwin:

Salman Rushdie Ursula K. Le Guin Saul Bellow Ralph Ellison Iris Murdoch

Additional quotes by James Baldwin

History is not a procession of illustrious people. It's about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is what history is about.

No man is a devil in his own mind.

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.

"Nobody can stay in the garden of Eden," Jacques said. And then: "I wonder why." ... Everyone, after all, goes the same dark road — and the road has … - James Baldwin

About James Baldwin

Also Known As

Shorter versions of this quote

Additional quotes by James Baldwin