“Love takes off the masks we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”

— James Baldwin

Last update Nov. 2, 2021. History

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James Baldwin 163

(1924-1987) writer from the United States 1924–1987

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“If we are bothered by possessions we cannot really live either from without or from within; we are the possession of our possessions.”

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“We cannot put off living until we are ready.”

José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish liberal philosopher and essayist

Mission of the University https://archive.org/details/missionofuniver000orte [ Misión de la Universidad http://www.esi2.us.es/~fabio/mision.pdf
Context: Life cannot wait until the sciences may have explained the universe scientifically. We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, "here and now" without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank. And culture, which is but its interpretation, cannot wait any more than can life itself.