"The work of art is, after all, an act of faith in our ability to communicate symbolically."

Ralph Ellison Literature See all quotes by Ralph Ellison →

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More by Ralph Ellison

“Closed societies are now the flimsiest of illusions, for all the outsiders are demanding in.”

“And I knew that it was better to live out one's own absurdity than to die for that of others.”

“And the mind that has conceived a plan of living must never lose sight of the chaos against which that pattern was conceived. That goes for societies as well as for individuals.”

“Let's not play these kids cheap; let's find out what they have that is a strength. What do they have that you can approach and build a bridge upon? Education is all a matter of building bridges, it seems to me.”

“Articles on Ellison at The New York Times”

“The clock ticked with empty urgency, as though trying to catch up with the time. In the street a siren howled.”

Resonant Thoughts

"The nationalist and imperialist delusions that run through all this document are far more wild than any idealist dreams of the future that we hold. But we say that if there is this menace, it is not g…"

— Clement Attlee

Politics1883–1967

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"My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction. And we must faithfully exec…"

— Barack Obama

Politics1961

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"I hope that we can have discussions. Even if we disagree we should be able to leave with good will towards each other. If we don't we are both poorer for it and we're not a better Canada"

— Mark Donnelly

Music1960

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"In the beginning I tried to accommodate everything there that was somewhere between art and garbage and that somehow seemed important to me and a pity to throw away. After a while, some sheets in the …"

— Gerhard Richter

Art1932

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