[James] Baldwin is needed even more today because he helps you focus to the essential, to what is important.

Today, I don't even think that people like [James Baldwin] are possible. He would not have that much room.

[James] Baldwin explained that you have your own history, and that you cannot be responsible, for example, for slavery.

I started to read James Baldwin very early on in my life. At a time, as a young adult in the Sixties, when there were not that many authors in whom I could recognize myself, he was an important guide and mentor to me as he was to many others. He helped me understand who I was and decipher the world around me. He gave me the words to defend myself and the argumentative rhetoric to master discussions with others.

The system gives you two minutes to phrase a whole history.

[James] Baldwin was a revelation for me, the kind of revelation that follows you all your life because you can go back to it. It's not just about stories. It's about philosophy. It's about criticizing the world. It's about deconstructing the world around you.

Just try to be yourself and resist complacency and ignorance. All you can do is work, work; work and be disciplined.