I thought of Paris as a beauty spot on the face of the earth, and of London as a big freckle.

Quote by James Weldon Johnson

Topics: James Weldon Johnson Quotes

Young man, young man, your arm's too short to box with God.

Young man, young man, your arm's too short to box with God.

Amsterdam was a great surprise to me. I had always thought of Venice as the...

Amsterdam was a great surprise to me. I had always thought of Venice as the...

It is a struggle; for though the black man fights passively, he nevertheless fights; and...

It is a struggle; for though the black man fights passively, he nevertheless fights; and...

My mother was kept very busy with her sewing; sometimes she would have another woman...

My mother was kept very busy with her sewing; sometimes she would have another woman...

The peculiar fascination which the South held over my imagination and my limited capital decided...

The peculiar fascination which the South held over my imagination and my limited capital decided...

You are young, gifted, and Black. We must begin to tell our young, There's a...

You are young, gifted, and Black. We must begin to tell our young, There's a...

She was my first love, and I loved her as only a boy loves.

She was my first love, and I loved her as only a boy loves.

I believe it to be a fact that the colored people of this country know...

I believe it to be a fact that the colored people of this country know...

When we arrived in London, my sadness at leaving Paris was turned into despair. After...

When we arrived in London, my sadness at leaving Paris was turned into despair. After...

There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I...

There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I...

My appearance was always good and my ability to play on the piano, especially ragtime,...

My appearance was always good and my ability to play on the piano, especially ragtime,...

Any musical person who has never heard a Negro congregation under the spell of religious...

Any musical person who has never heard a Negro congregation under the spell of religious...

And so for a couple of years my life was divided between my music and...

And so for a couple of years my life was divided between my music and...

Northern white people love the Negro in a sort of abstract way, as a race;...

Northern white people love the Negro in a sort of abstract way, as a race;...

Labor is the fabled magician's wand, the philosophers stone, and the cap of good fortune.

Labor is the fabled magician's wand, the philosophers stone, and the cap of good fortune.

In Berlin I especially enjoyed the orchestral concerts, and I attended a large number of...

In Berlin I especially enjoyed the orchestral concerts, and I attended a large number of...

As yet, the Negroes themselves do not fully appreciate these old slave songs.

As yet, the Negroes themselves do not fully appreciate these old slave songs.

The Southern whites are in many respects a great people. Looked at from a certain...

The Southern whites are in many respects a great people. Looked at from a certain...

Young man, young man, your arm's too short to box with God.

Young man, young man, your arm's too short to box with God.

But I must own that I also felt stirred by an unselfish desire to voice...

But I must own that I also felt stirred by an unselfish desire to voice...