Cornel West

Sociology American 1953 99 quotes

A public intellectual and academic known for his work on race, religion, and social justice, often engaging in critical social commentary.

Quotes by Cornel West

We have to be militants for sweetness and light.

Book 1989

The courage to be is the courage to be who we are.

Interview 2000

Prophetic pragmatism means keeping our eyes on the prize while navigating the rough waters of reality.

Book 1992

Art is the soul's scream of freedom.

Lecture 1994

Without the arts, we're capable of doing some awful things to each other.

Interview 2008

The fundamental aim in the life of a jazz musician is to express themselves.

Book 1991

Race matters because of the role the color line plays in the lives of Americans.

Book 1993

I am a Christian. I am a card-carrying Christian. I am a profoundly flawed and fallible human being.

Interview 2007

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of liberation.

Speech 1999

We must be maladjusted to injustice.

Speech 2004

Education is not about filling a bucket, but about lighting a fire.

Lecture 2012

The price of the ticket for the ride of life is the willingness to suffer.

Book 1988

Humor is a way of holding off the despair.

Interview 2006

I'm a bluesman in the life of the mind.

Speech 1996

Justice is what love looks like in public, tenderness is what love feels like in private.

Book 2004

To be a Christian is to live in the light of the resurrection.

Book 2002

The black church is the cradle of the black community.

Book 1990

We need a new kind of public intellectual who is engaged and committed.

Interview 2011

Love allows for vulnerability.

Book 1997

The American empire is in decline.

Speech 2005