35+ Josephine Baker Quotes About Life, Love, and Equality

Josephine Baker is a name that should be remembered for a long time.

Josephine Baker was an American-born French performer, activist, and World War II agent. She went on to become one of France's most prolific entertainers.

There are multiple reasons why Josephine Baker should be remembered. Firstly, she was a symbol of the vitality and beauty of Black American culture in France during the '20s.

Secondly, she ardently fought against the rise of fascism in Europe and was one of the main figures speaking against racism in the United States in the '50s and '60s. Due to her efforts, countless people's lives were impacted and they were able to prosper, this makes her a hugely important figure.

If you are interested in reading quotes about people who changed the course of history, these Josephine Baker quotes are a good choice! Many of these Josephine Baker quotes aren't just evocative, they're also poignant in current times as they highlight many of the hidden aspects of our world.

This list is apt for people searching for Josephine Baker quotes on love, equality, civil rights and freedom. We hope you enjoy this list of Josephine Baker famous quotes!

If you would like to check out other articles with inspirational quotes, you can check out these Women supporting Women quotes and these African American quotes.

Fantastic Josephine Baker Quotes

Here's a list of the best Josephine Baker quotes that are absolutely fantastic.

1. "All my life, I have maintained that the people of the world can learn to live together in peace if they are not brought up in prejudice."

- Josephine Baker.

2. "I shall dance all my life. . . . I would like to die, breathless, spent, at the end of a dance."

- Josephine Baker.

3. "Art is an elastic sort of love."

- Josephine Baker.

4. "I believe in prayer. It's the best way we have to draw strength from heaven."

- Josephine Baker.

5. "I like Frenchmen very much, because even when they insult you they do it so nicely."

- Josephine Baker.

6. "Since I personified the savage on the stage, I tried to be as civilized as possible in daily life."

- Josephine Baker.

7. "I love performing. I shall perform until the day I die."

- Josephine Baker.

8. "One dance had made me the most famous colored woman in the world."

- Josephine Baker.

9. "God dislikes evil, and no happiness can be built on hate. Love one another as brothers."

- Josephine Baker.

10. "Oh, you young people act like old men. You have no fun."

- Josephine Baker.

11. "I have never really been a great artist. I have been a human being that has loved art, which is not the same thing."

- Josephine Baker.

12. "I have two loves: my country and Paris."

- Josephine Baker.

13. "I want to live in peace surrounded by children and animals. "

- Josephine Baker.

14. "On the contrary, I have been very proud of my start, because it has made me remain human, and in that way understand my fellow brothers of misery."

- Josephine Baker.

15. "The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains."

- Josephine Baker.

Josephine Baker Quotes That Are Inspiring

If you're looking for some inspirational quotes by Josephine Baker, we have the best Josephine Baker inspirational quotes right here.

16."Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul, when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood."

- Josephine Baker.

17. "I'm not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach and a head. Just think about that."

- Josephine Baker.

18. "You must get an education. You must go to school, and you must learn to protect yourself. And you must learn to protect yourself with the pen, and not the gun."

- Josephine Baker.

19. "You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you."

- Josephine Baker.

20. "The secret to the fountain of youth is to think youthful thoughts."

- Josephine Baker.

21. "I did take the blows [of life], but I took them with my chin up, in dignity, because I so profoundly love and respect humanity."

- Josephine Baker.

22. "Each time I leaped I seemed to touch the sky and when I regained earth it seemed to be mine alone."

- Josephine Baker.

23. "To realize our dreams we must decide to wake up."

- Josephine Baker.

24. "All men can live together if they wish to."

- Josephine Baker.

25. "Is that what they call a vocation, what you do with joy as if you had fire in your heart, the devil in your body?"

- Josephine Baker.

Josephine Baker Quotes On Equality And Discrimination

Josephine Baker contributed so much to the Civil Rights movement that the NAACP commemorated 20 May officially as 'Josephine Baker Day'. Here are her quotations on brotherhood, equality, discrimination, and segregation.

26. "Americans, the eyes of the world are upon you. How can you expect the world to believe in you and respect your preaching of democracy when you yourself treat your colored brothers as you do?"

- Josephine Baker.

27. "I believe if the white and colored people could get together and be let alone, they would understand each other and consequently love each other."

- Josephine Baker.

28. "Let us stop saying 'white Americans' and 'colored Americans,' let us try once and for all saying... Americans. Let human beings be equal on Earth as in Heaven."

- Josephine Baker.

29. "We must change the system of education and instruction. Unfortunately, history has shown us that brotherhood must be learned, when it should be natural."

- Josephine Baker.

30. "Friends, to me for years St. Louis represented a city of fear... humiliation... misery and terror."

- Josephine Baker.

31. "It [the Eiffel Tower] looked very different from the Statue of Liberty, but what did that matter? What was the good of having the statue without the liberty, the freedom to go where one chose if one was held back by one's color? No, I preferred the Eiffel Tower, which made no promises."

- Josephine Baker.

32. "I ran away from home. I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States of America, because of that terror of discrimination, that horrible beast which paralyzes one's very soul and body."

- Josephine Baker.

33. "Until the March on Washington, I always had this little feeling in my stomach. I was always afraid. I couldn’t meet white American people. I didn’t want to be around them. But now that little gnawing feeling is gone. "

- Josephine Baker.

34. "The white imagination is sure something when it comes to blacks."

- Josephine Baker.

35. "We've got to show that blacks and whites are treated equally in the army."

- Josephine Baker.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Josephine Baker Quotes then why not take a look at these Juneteenth quotes, or [activism quotes] too?

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