Wallace Thurman Quotes & Sayings

Beloved, we join hands here to pray for gin. An aridity defiles us. Our innards thirst for the juice of juniper. Something must be done. The drought threatens to destroy us. Surely, God who let manna fall from the heavens so that the holy children of Israel might eat, will not let the equally holy children of Niggeratti Manor die from the want of a little gin. Children, let us pray. — Wallace Thurman

Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish — Wallace Thurman

Color prejudice and religion are akin in one respect. Some folks have it and some don't, and the kernel that is responsible for it is present in us all. — Wallace Thurman

We are mere journeymen, planting seeds for someone else to harvest. — Wallace Thurman

I am reminded again that the greatest phrase ever written is words, words, words. — Wallace Thurman

The Negro and all things negroid had become a fad, and Harlem had become a shrine to which feverish pilgrimages were in order ... Seventh Avenue was the gorge into which Harlem cliff dwellers crowded to promenade. — Wallace Thurman

If but a few live coals are found in a mountain of ashes, no one should be disappointed. Genius is a rare quality in this world, and there is no reason why it should be more ubiquitous among Blacks than Whites. — Wallace Thurman

I cannot bear to associate with the ordinary run of people. I have to surround myself with individuals who for the most part are more than a trifle insane — Wallace Thurman