Lillian Smith Quotes

A collection of quotes by Lillian Smith.

Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was an American writer, activist, and social critic who played a significant role in the civil rights movement. She was born in Jasper, Florida, and raised in Georgia, where she experienced firsthand the racial injustices prevalent in the early 20th century American South.

Smith's most notable work is her controversial book, "Strange Fruit" (1944), which dealt with the topic of interracial relationships and was one of the first novels by a white Southern author to openly address racial discrimination. This novel, along with her other writings, challenged the Jim Crow era and advocated for the liberation of African Americans from oppression.

Throughout her career, Smith actively fought against racial segregation, advocating for equal rights and social justice. She co-founded the Highlander Folk School, an education and training center for labor activists and civil rights leaders. Smith's activism led to her being labeled a radical and controversial figure during her time, but she remained committed to her principles and continued to speak out against the racial inequalities she witnessed.

Smith's contributions to the civil rights movement were significant, as she used her platform to voice the need for racial equality and challenge societal norms. Her work continues to resonate with readers today, reminding us of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the importance of confronting societal prejudices.

When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and ask

When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and asking questions, always new questions, then it is time to die.

Faith and doubt both are needed - not as antagonists, but wo

Faith and doubt both are needed - not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.

Man, born of woman, has found it a hard thing to forgive her

Man, born of woman, has found it a hard thing to forgive her for giving him birth. The patriarchal protest against the ancient matriarch has borne strange fruit through the years.

Rich folks always talk hard times.

Rich folks always talk hard times.

To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it

To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future open. Man, surrounded by facts, permitting himself no surmise, no intuitive flash, no great hypothesis, no risk, is in a locked cell. Ignorance cannot seal the mind and imagination more surely.

To find the point where hypothesis and fact meet; the delica

To find the point where hypothesis and fact meet; the delicate equilibrium between dream and reality; the place where fantasy and earthly things are metamorphosed into a work of art; the hour when faith in the future becomes knowledge of the past; to lay down one's power for others in need; to shake off the old ordeal and get ready for the new; to question, knowing that never can the full answer be found; to accept uncertainties quietly, even our incomplete knowledge of God; this is what man's journey is about, I think.

The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which

The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. There is a return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making.

For men tied fast to the absolute, bled of their differences

For men tied fast to the absolute, bled of their differences, drained of their dreams by authoritarian leeches until nothing but pulp is left, become a massive, sick Thing whose sheer weight is used ruthlessly by ambitious men. Here is the real enemy of the people: our own selves dehumanized into the masses. And where is the David who can slay this giant?

Education is a private matter between the person and the wor

Education is a private matter between the person and the world of knowledge and experience, and has little to do with school or college.