Home / Authors / Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka Quotes

Writer

Amiri Baraka, born Leroy Jones, was an American writer, poet, playwright, political activist, and music critic. His work spanned poetry, novels, plays, and music criticism, and had a profound impact on American literature and black culture.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Art Black Men World Art Is America Black People Poem Poetry Thinking White American Life Artist Class Consciousness Death Evil Eye Freedom

Famous Amiri Baraka Quotes

“The films of Warhol, when they are about anything are about sucking people off. This can be high art, to people who are interested in sucking people off. But that will not liberate Black people.”

People Art Film Black Black People Warhol High Art

Book:Raise, Race, Rays, Raze: Essays Since 1965

Source: Raise, Race, Rays, Raze: Essays Since 1965

“The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. Like, scholars are supposed to be a part of a community... Art is to decorate people’s houses, their skin, their clothes, to make them expand their minds, and it’s supposed to be right in the community, where they can have it when they want it... It’s supposed to be as essential as a grocery store... that’s the only way art can function naturally.”

People Way Want Mind Art House Community Essentials Clothes Understood Art Is Skins Function West Stores Supposed To Be Scholar Groceries Grocery Stores

Author:Amiri Baraka

“Thought is more important than art....To revere art and have no understanding of the process that forces it into existence, is finally not even to understand what art is.”

Art Important Force Process Understanding Existence Learning Art Is Aging

Author:Amiri Baraka

“Art is a weapon in the struggle of ideas, the class struggle.”

Art Ideas Class Struggle Weapons Art Is Class Struggle

Author:Amiri Baraka

“The attempt to divide art and politics is a bourgeois which says good poetry, art, cannot be political, but since everything is … political, even an artist or work that claims not to have any politics is making a political statement by that act.”

Art Political Artist Claims Statements Divides Bourgeois Good Poetry

Author:Amiri Baraka

“Art is whatever makes you proud to be human.”

Humans Art Proud Art Is

Author:Amiri Baraka

“There is no depth to education without art.”

Art Depth

Book:Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music

Source: Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music

About the Author

Born: October 7, 1934
Died: January 9, 2014
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 54

Books & Sources

Home: Social EssaysRelated source material

S O S: Poems 1961-2013Related source material

Black Magic: Sabotage, Target Study, Black Art: Collected Poetry, 1961-1967Related source material

Three books by Imamu Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones).Related source material

Daggers and javelins: essays, 1974-1979Related source material

Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical MusicRelated source material

Raise, Race, Rays, Raze: Essays Since 1965Related source material

Selected poetry of Amiri Baraka/LeRoi JonesRelated source material

Somebody Blew Up America and Other PoemsRelated source material

System of Dante's HellRelated source material

Similar Authors

Malcolm XBrowse related quotes
Louis FarrakhanBrowse related quotes
Walter Darby BannardBrowse related quotes
Fannie Lou HamerBrowse related quotes
Michael Eric DysonBrowse related quotes
Thomas HovingBrowse related quotes
Jerry SaltzBrowse related quotes
Eric DrookerBrowse related quotes
Cornel WestBrowse related quotes
James A. BaldwinBrowse related quotes