I want to remind us all that art is dangerous. I want to remind you of the history of artists who have been murdered, slaughtered, imprisoned, chopped up, refused entrance. The history of art, whether it's in music or written or what have you, has always been bloody, because dictators and people in office and people who want to control and deceive know exactly the people who will disturb their plans. And those people are artists. They're the ones that sing the truth. And that is something that society has got to protect. But when you enter that field, no matter whether that's Sonia's poetry or Ta-Nehisi's rather startlingly clear prose, it's a dangerous pursuit. Somebody's out to get you. You have to know it before you start, and do it under those circumstances, because it is one of the most important things that human beings do.Toni Morrison
About This Quote
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a writer. He also happens to be a very famous writer. Like most writers, he has a lot of opinions about a number of things. Like most writers, he has a lot of followers.
And like many writers, he is in danger. In fact, according to Coates, when you write for a living, you are in danger. The only difference being that Coates has been in danger for a number of years now.
According to Coates, writing is dangerous because it makes the world uncomfortable. In fact, when people have the opportunity to speak their minds and write their thoughts down just how they want them to be heard, that folks in power have to take notice.
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More Quotes By Toni Morrison
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