James Baldwin’s Philosophy of Love

There is a famous line, often quoted and excerpted, from the 1970 documentary Meeting the Man, about the great American writer James Baldwin. In a moment of seriousness — really an exquisite performance of barely-controlled fury — Baldwin says: “Love has never been a popular movement, and no one’s ever wanted really to be free. The world is held together, really it is, held together, by the love and passion of a very few people. Otherwise, of course you can despair. Walk down the street of any city, any afternoon, and look around you. What you’ve got to remember is that what you’re looking at is also you. Everyone you’re looking at is also you. You could be that person. You could be that monster, you could be that cop. And you have to decide, in yourself, not to be.”