Ralph Ellison

"So why do I write, torturing myself to put it down? Because in spite of myself I've learned some things. Without the possibility of action, all knowledge comes to one labeled "file and forget," and I can neither file nor forget. Nor will certain ideas forget me; they keep filing away at my lethargy, my complacency. Why should I be the one to dream this nightmare?"

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Source: Ralph Ellison (2010). “Invisible Man”, p.592, Vintage

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Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison

Novelist, Essayist

Ralph Ellison was an American novelist and essayist, best known for his groundbreaking work 'Invisible Man,' which explores themes of identity and race.

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Ralph Ellison Novelist, Essayist

"If you can show me how I can cling to that which is real to me, while teaching me a way into the larger society, then and only then will I drop my defenses and hostility, and I will sing your praises and help you to make the desert bear fruit."

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