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Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks Books

Photographer

Gordon Parks, born on November 30, 1912, was an exceptional photographer, writer, and filmmaker. His work spanned a wide range of fields, from social documentary to fashion photography, and he is renowned for his profound social insight and artistic expression.

A Choice of Weapons

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Born Black

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I am You: Selected Works, 1934-1978

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Moments without proper names

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Related Quotes

“America is me. It gave me the only life I know—so I must share in its survival. Look at me. Listen to me.”

Race Survival Race In America

Book:I am You: Selected Works, 1934-1978

Source: I am You: Selected Works, 1934-1978

“I've been with Life now for seventeen years and I have written several articles for them and will be doing more writing and do at least two assignments a year besides my writing.”

Writing Years Two Written Articles Assignments Seventeen

Author:Gordon Parks

“Washington, D.C. in 1942 was not the easiest place in the world for a Negro to get along.”

World Places In The World

Author:Gordon Parks

“Success can be wracking and reproachful, to you and those close to you. It can entangle you with legends that are consuming and all but impossible to live up to.”

Impossible Legends Consuming

Author:Gordon Parks

“Photography was my choice of weapons.”

Choices Photography Weapons

Author:Gordon Parks

“I've been asked if I think there will ever come a time when all people come together. I would like to think there will. All we can do is hope and dream and work toward that end. And that's what I've tried to do all my life.”

People Ifs Thinking Ends Dream Together Can Do Hopes And Dreams

Author:Gordon Parks

“I do find a certain fascination with the unpredictable. The transitory years we wade through are what they are- what we make of them.”

Years Certain Unpredictable Fascination Transitory Wade

Author:Gordon Parks

“If a man can reach the latter days of his life with his soul intact, he has mastered life.”

Ifs Men Soul Latter Latter Days

Author:Gordon Parks

“I have never known anyone important enough to consume me in anger beyond a few hours. Better to depart their existence before they poison your own.”

Important Enough Hours Existence Known Poison

Author:Gordon Parks

“I have always felt as though I needed a weapon against evil.”

Evil Felt Needed Weapons

Author:Gordon Parks

“Think in terms of images and words. They can be mighty powerful when they are fitted together properly.”

Thinking Together Term Powerful

Book:A Choice of Weapons

Source: A Choice of Weapons

“You have a 45mm automatic pistol on your lap, and I have a 35mm camera on my lap, and my weapon is just as powerful as yours. (To Black Panther militant Eldridge Cleaver)”

Black Powerful Photography Weapons Gun Cameras African American Lap Militant Pistols Handguns Panthers Cameraman Black Panther Cleaver

Author:Gordon Parks

“I've known both misery and happiness, lived in so many different skins it is impossible for one skin to claim me. And I have felt like a wayfarer on an alien planet at times - walking, running, wondering about what brought me to this particular place, and why. But once I was here the dreams started moving in, and I went about devouring them as they devoured me.”

Different Dream Running Moving Felt Known Wonder Impossible Particular Planets Walking Skins Claims Misery Aliens Moving In Devouring

Author:Gordon Parks

“I was born to a black childhood of confusion and poverty. The memory of that beginning influences my work today, It is impossible now to photograph a hungry child without remembering the hunger of my old childhood.”

Children Today Remember Black Born Memories Poverty Impossible Influence Childhood Photograph Hunger Hungry Confusion

Author:Gordon Parks

“I had known poverty firsthand, but there I learned how to fight its evil - along with the evil of racism - with a camera.”

Fighting Evil Known Poverty Racism Cameras

Author:Gordon Parks

“The subject matter is so much more important than the photographer.”

Important Matter Subjects Photography Photographer Subject Matter

Author:Gordon Parks

“But I do feel a little teeny right now that I'm just about ready to start, and winter is entering. Half past autumn has arrived.”

Feels Littles Past Half Ready Right Now Winter Autumn Entering

Author:Gordon Parks

“I suffered evils, but without allowing them to rob me of the freedom to expand.”

Author:Gordon Parks

“The photographer begins to feel big and bloated and so big he can't walk through one of these doors because he gets a good byline; he gets notices all over the world and so forth; but they're really - the important people are the people he photographs.”

People World Feels Important Bigs Walks Doors Photography Photographer Photograph

Author:Gordon Parks

“I bought my first camera in Seattle, Washington. Only paid about seven dollars and fifty cents for it.”

Firsts Paid Cameras Dollars Seven Fifty Cents Seattle

Author:Gordon Parks

“The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.”

“And now, I feel at 85, I really feel that I'm just ready to start.”

Feels Ready Mastery

Author:Gordon Parks

“And I think that after nearly 85 years upon this planet that I have a right after working so hard at showing the desolation and the poverty, to show something beautiful for somebody as well.”

Thinking Years Wells Hard Shows Beautiful Poverty Planets Something Beautiful Desolation Working So Hard

Author:Gordon Parks

“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.”

Life Acting Habit Enthusiasm Comparison Electricity Enthusiastic Enthusiasm For Life Energy And Enthusiasm

Author:Gordon Parks

“I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty. I could have just as easily picked up a knife or a gun, like many of my childhood friends did... most of whom were murdered or put in prison... but I chose not to go that way. I felt that I could somehow subdue these evils by doing something beautiful that people recognize me by, and thus make a whole different life for myself, which has proved to be so.”

“Many times I wondered whether my achievement was worth the loneliness I experienced, but now I realize the price was small.”

Realizing Loneliness Achievement

Book:Born Black

Source: Born Black

“Use anger to emotionalize whatever thing you intend to do in life - being a painter, a poet or a photographer”

Use Poet Photographer Painter

Author:Gordon Parks

“At first I wasn't sure that I had the talent, but I did know I had a fear of failure, and that fear compelled me to fight off anything that might abet it.”

Knows Firsts Might Fighting Talent Compelled Fear Of Failure Abet

Author:Gordon Parks

“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”

Social Poverty Saws Weapons Racism Cameras Injustice African American Cinema Filmmaker Filmmaking Against Racism

Author:Gordon Parks

“So I went to Chicago in 1940, I think, '41, and the photographs that I made there, aside from fashion, were things that I was trying to express in a social conscious way.”

Thinking Way Trying Made Social Fashion Conscious Photograph Chicago Social Service

Author:Gordon Parks

“But I was very disappointed that I didn't get a chance to go overseas with that group, might not have gotten back but I wanted very much to go because there's not much of a record of the exploits of the first Negro fighter group.”

Firsts Might Wanted Chance Records Groups Fighter Disappointed Exploits

Author:Gordon Parks

“Nothing came easy. I was just born with a need to explore every part of my mind. And with long searching and hard work, I became devoted to my restlessness.”

Needs Mind Long Hard Easy Born Hard Work African American Devoted Exploring Restless Of My Mind Restlessness Photojournalists

Author:Gordon Parks

“If you don't have anything to say, your photographs aren't going to say much.”

Author:Gordon Parks

“You know, the camera is not meant just to show misery.”

Knows Shows Cameras Misery

Author:Gordon Parks

“I was there less than a year before I was assigned to the Paris bureau. I spent two years there and, in fact, before I even went on the staff I was sent to Europe to do assignments which they wouldn't normally do for a young photographer just starting out.”

Years Two Facts Young Photography Europe Photographer Starting Paris Two Years Staff Assignments Starting Out

Author:Gordon Parks

“I think most people can do a whole lot more if they just try.”

People Ifs Thinking Trying Whole Can Do

Author:Gordon Parks

“I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty.”

Choices Universe Poverty Weapons Racism Cameras Hated Intolerance Childhood Friend

Author:Gordon Parks

“The camera could be a very powerful instrument against discrimination, against poverty, against racism.”

Powerful Poverty Racism Cameras Instruments Discrimination Very Powerful Against Racism

Author:Gordon Parks

“I have been born again and again and each time, I have found something to love.”

Has Beens Found Born Again And Again Born Again

Author:Gordon Parks

“I suffered first as a child from discrimination, poverty ... So I think it was a natural follow from that that I should use my camera to speak for people who are unable to speak for themselves.”

People Thinking Should Firsts Children Use Speak Natural Poverty Photography Cameras Discrimination

Author:Gordon Parks

“I feel it is the heart, not the eye, that should determine the content of the photograph. What the eye sees is its own. What the heart can perceive is a very different matter.”

Feels Should Heart Different Matter Eye Photograph Determine Perceive

Book:Moments without proper names

Source: Moments without proper names

“You know, the camera is not meant just to show misery. You can show things that you like about the universe, things that you hate about the universe. It's capable of doing both.”

Knows Shows Hate Universe Capable Cameras Misery

Author:Gordon Parks

“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life”

Enthusiasm Electricity

Author:Gordon Parks

“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit. Enthusiasm is natural; it is being alive, taking the initiative, seeing the importance of what you do, giving it dignity and making what you do important to yourself and to others.”

Giving Important Natural Alive Seeing Habit Dignity Importance Enthusiasm Initiative Electricity Enthusiastic

Author:Gordon Parks

“I'd become sort of involved in things that were happening to people. No matter what color they be, whether they be Indians, or Negroes, the poor white person or anyone who was I thought more or less getting a bad shake.”

People Persons Matter White Poor Color Involved Happenings No Matter What Shakes

Author:Gordon Parks

“People in millenniums ahead will know what we were like in the 1930's and the thing that, the important major things that shaped our history at that time. This is as important for historic reasons as any other.”

People Knows Important Reason Majors Historic 1930s

Author:Gordon Parks

“I think maybe the rural influence in my life helped me in a sense, of knowing how to get close to people and talk to them and get my work done.”

People Thinking Done Knowing Influence Work Done

Author:Gordon Parks

About the Author

Born: November 30, 1912
Died: March 7, 2006
Known for: Photographer
Quotes: 47

Related Topics

Cameras People Poverty Thinking Photography Weapons Important Photograph Racism African American

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

A Choice of WeaponsRelated source material

Born BlackRelated source material

I am You: Selected Works, 1934-1978Related source material

Moments without proper namesRelated source material

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