Claude McKay Quotes & Sayings

I have forgotten much, but still remember The poinsiana's red, blood-red in warm December. — Claude McKay

I plucked my soul out of its secret place,
And held it to the mirror of my eye,
To see it like a star against the sky,
A twitching body quivering in space,
A spark of passion shining on my face.
And I explored it to determine why
This awful key to my infinity
Conspires to rob me of sweet joy and grace.
And if the sign may not be fully read,
If I can comprehend but not control,
I need not gloom my days with futile dread,
Because I see a part and not the whole.
Contemplating the strange, I'm comforted
By this narcotic thought: I know my soul. — Claude McKay

I know the dark delight of being strange, The penalty of difference in the crowd, The loneliness of wisdom among fools ... — Claude McKay

Adventure-seasoned and storm-buffeted,
I shun all signs of anchorage, because
The zest of life exceeds the bound of laws. — Claude McKay

The shivering birds beneath the eaves Have sheltered for the night. — Claude McKay

If a man is not faithful to his own individuality, he cannot be loyal to anything. — Claude McKay

Idealism is like a castle in the air if it is not based on a solid foundation of social and political realism. — Claude McKay

If we must die, O let us nobly die. — Claude McKay

Deep in the secret chambers of my heart I muse my life-long hate, and without flinch I bear it nobly as I live my part. — Claude McKay

We are like trees. We wear all colors naturally. — Claude McKay

Nations, like plants and human beings, grow. And if the development is thwarted they are dwarfed and overshadowed. — Claude McKay

If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, If we must die, O let us nobly die. — Claude McKay

And, hungry for the old, familiar ways, I turned aside and bowed my head and wept. — Claude McKay

Human dignity is more precious than prestige ... — Claude McKay

Upon the clothes behind the tenement, That hang like ghosts suspended from the lines, Linking each flat, but to each indifferent, Incongruous and strange the moonlight shines. — Claude McKay

It's when you are down that you learn about your faults. — Claude McKay