---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write the black experience in America…"
description: "\"I write the black experience in America, and contained within that experience, because it is a human experience, are all the universalities.\" — August ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png"
---

#  I write the black experience in America, and contained…

![“I write the black experience in America, and contained within that experience, because it is a human experience, are all the universalities.” quote by August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png)

> “I write the black experience in America, and contained within that experience, because it is a human experience, are all the universalities.”

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Black experience in America reflects universal human experiences.

**In simple terms:** Black American story shares universal themes.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared humanity across cultures.

Themes

culture universality identity

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

quote reflection

When to use this quote

- theatre
- education
- dialogue

Key Concepts

human experience social narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we honor both uniqueness and commonality?
- What stories bridge cultures?

A Different Perspective

Overgeneralization can erase specifics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-experience-486536/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Experience Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-human-520814/) [Experience Universalities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-universalities-4805742/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-experience/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Universalities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universalities-4805743/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/)

## Related quotes

> [The truth of who we are has nothing to do with religion or the type of car that we drive or the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/the-truth-of-who-we-are-has-nothing-to-do-with-religion-or-the-type/)

[RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/)

> [Blacks have traditionally had to operate in a situation where whites have set themselves up as the custodians of the black experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/blacks-have-traditionally-had-to-operate-in-a-situation-where-whites/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [There's no idea in the world that is not contained by black life. I could write forever about the black experience in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/there-s-no-idea-in-the-world-that-is-not-contained-by-black-life-i/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [My 'heroes' are those - like Chuang Tzu and Heidegger - who recognize that the world of experience is a human world, but recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-cooper/my-heroes-are-those-like-chuang-tzu-and-heidegger-who-recognize-that/)

[David E. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-cooper/)

> [I think the whole experience of being a human being on the planet is such a mystery, to be honest. Trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-think-the-whole-experience-of-being-a-human-being-on-the-planet-is/)

[Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/)

> [“There you go again, declaring the exact inverse of your experience. You human pups are so full of the things you're sure of. Sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-aleksandr-wootton/there-you-go-again-declaring-the-exact-inverse-of-your-experience-you/)

[J. Aleksandr Wootton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-aleksandr-wootton/)

> [“If your faith is opposed to experience, to human learning and investigation, it is not worth the breath used to give it expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-watson-howe/if-your-faith-is-opposed-to-experience-to-human-learning-and-2/)

[Edgar Watson Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-watson-howe/)

> [If your faith is opposed to experience, to human learning and investigation, it is not worth the breath used in giving it expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/if-your-faith-is-opposed-to-experience-to-human-learning-and/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

> [“The more of these practices we enact, the more we experience human happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/the-more-of-these-practices-we-enact-the-more-we-experience-human/)

[Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/)

> [Every time someone opens up to me, it just feels like a gift they're giving me, because it's a chance to experience another human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-rosen/every-time-someone-opens-up-to-me-it-just-feels-like-a-gift-they-re/)

[Alison Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-rosen/)

> [The basic experience of everyone is the experience of human limitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-basic-experience-of-everyone-is-the-experience-of-human-limitation/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [All my music is driven by an urge to connect with people, to share with them in the experience of being human - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/all-my-music-is-driven-by-an-urge-to-connect-with-people-to-share/)

[Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/)

> [The empathic understanding of the experience of other human beings is as basic an endowment of man as his vision, hearing, touch, taste and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-kohut/the-empathic-understanding-of-the-experience-of-other-human-beings-is/)

[Heinz Kohut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-kohut/)

> [Anything that's different from your own realm of experience as a human being, whether it's driving a car or a boat, or using guns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/anything-that-s-different-from-your-own-realm-of-experience-as-a/)

[Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/)

> [“mistakes are meant to be experience by human”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/self-realization/mistakes-are-meant-to-be-experience-by-human/)

[Self Realization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/self-realization/)

## More by August Wilson

> [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I just write stuff down and pile it up, and when I get enough stuff, I spread it out and look at it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-just-write-stuff-down-and-pile-it-up-and-when-i-get-enough-stuff-i/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I don't look at our society today too much. My focus is still in the past, and part of the reason is because what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-look-at-our-society-today-too-much-my-focus-is-still-in-the/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [The director works as an interpretive artist, but he's still an artist, so you also have to give him room to create and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/the-director-works-as-an-interpretive-artist-but-he-s-still-an-artist/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I dropped out of school, but I didn't drop out of life. I would leave the house each morning and go to the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-dropped-out-of-school-but-i-didn-t-drop-out-of-life-i-would-leave/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [When I first started writing plays I couldn't write good dialogue because I didn't respect how black people talked. I thought that in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/when-i-first-started-writing-plays-i-couldn-t-write-good-dialogue/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“Like you? I go out of here every morning...bust my butt...cause I like you? It's my job. It's my responsibility!... Not cause I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/like-you-i-go-out-of-here-every-morning-bust-my-butt-cause-i-like-you/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“-How long you been with the rail road now? -Twenty-seven years. Now, I'll tell you something about the railroad. What I done learned after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/how-long-you-been-with-the-rail-road-now-twenty-seven-years-now-i-ll/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [Scripts were rather scarce in 1968. We did a lot of Amiri Baraka's plays, the agitprop stuff he was writing. It was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/scripts-were-rather-scarce-in-1968-we-did-a-lot-of-amiri-baraka-s/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/all-you-need-in-the-world-is-love-and-laughter-that-s-all-anybody/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I ain't never found no place for me to fit. Seem like all I do is start over. It ain't nothing to find no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-ain-t-never-found-no-place-for-me-to-fit-seem-like-all-i-do-is/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I don't write for a particular audience. I work as an artist, and I think the audience of one, which is the self, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience-i-work-as-an-artist-and-i/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I dont write particularly to effect social change. I believe writing can do that, but thats not why I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-dont-write-particularly-to-effect-social-change-i-believe-writing/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“Don't try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/don-t-try-and-go-through-life-worrying-about-if-somebody-like-you-or/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [Suffice it to say, I'm not poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/suffice-it-to-say-i-m-not-poor/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

[Explore all 124 August Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I write the black experience in America, and contained within that experience, because it is a human experience, are all the universalities.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "August Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-write-the-black-experience-in-america-and-contained-within-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-write-the-black-experience-in-america-and-contained-within-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/august-wilson-3646_america_i-write-the-black-experience-in-america_3007545.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I write the black experience in America, and contained within that experience, because it is a human…” — August Wilson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "August Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I write the black experience in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-write-the-black-experience-in-america-and-contained-within-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-write-the-black-experience-in-america-and-contained-within-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
