---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people in his Harlem did not speak…"
description: "\"“The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their way through conversations and disagreements,”\" — Bernice L. McFadden"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg"
---

#  The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their…

![“The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their way through conversations and disagreements,” quote by Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg)

> ““The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their way through conversations and disagreements,””

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

## About This Quote

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

In Harlem, people express themselves through song, turning conflict into harmony.

**In simple terms:** People sing through conflict.

Key Takeaway

Embrace expressive communication.

Themes

culture communication community

Mood

creative hopeful

Type

poetic inspirational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- artistic collaboration
- social gatherings

Key Concepts

Oral tradition musical dialogue

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we translate this approach elsewhere?
- What role does rhythm play in dialogue?

A Different Perspective

Not all contexts suit musical dialogue.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Harlem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harlem/)

## Related quotes

> [Despite everything that Harlem did to our generation, I think it gave something to a few. It gave them a strength that couldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-brown/despite-everything-that-harlem-did-to-our-generation-i-think-it-gave/)

Claude Brown

> [The world has white people and black people in it. Even in Harlem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bassett/the-world-has-white-people-and-black-people-in-it-even-in-harlem/)

[Angela Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bassett/)

> [Many people in Harlem never go out of Harlem. I mean they'd never even been downtown. And you can see how this bitterness can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/many-people-in-harlem-never-go-out-of-harlem-i-mean-they-d-never-even/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“The people in Harlem know they are living there because white people do not think they are good enough to live anywhere else. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-people-in-harlem-know-they-are-living-there-because-white-people/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [“Whatever they have done, or are doing, or will do to the people locked away forever in Guantanamo Bay, they will do the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banole/whatever-they-have-done-or-are-doing-or-will-do-to-the-people-locked/)

Banole

> [I'm lucky to live in New York, a city that offers so many options for lunch. I can pick up dumplings from a Midtown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/i-m-lucky-to-live-in-new-york-a-city-that-offers-so-many-options-for/)

[Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/)

> [If I go up to Harlem or down to Sixth Street, and I'm not dressed up or I'm not wearing my jewelry, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-astor/if-i-go-up-to-harlem-or-down-to-sixth-street-and-i-m-not-dressed-up/)

[Brooke Astor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-astor/)

> [I haven't seen a professional player come out of New York in over 20 years since my brother Patrick came out. Blake spent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcenroe/i-haven-t-seen-a-professional-player-come-out-of-new-york-in-over-20/)

[John McEnroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcenroe/)

> [It was something that came sort of matter-of-factually. Because there - it's like really - real honest engagement with the people around me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/it-was-something-that-came-sort-of-matter-of-factually-because-there/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Harlem has always been the nexus of music, politics, culture, criminal figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/harlem-has-always-been-the-nexus-of-music-politics-culture-criminal/)

[Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/)

> [Here - at this final hour, Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes - extinguished now, and gone from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/here-at-this-final-hour-harlem-has-come-to-bid-farewell-to-one-of-its/)

[Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/)

> [Harlem World' is all about me doing my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mase/harlem-world-is-all-about-me-doing-my-thing/)

[Mase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mase/)

> [I grew up in Harlem. My grandmother was one of the best cooks around, but the first thing she did on Sunday mornings when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/i-grew-up-in-harlem-my-grandmother-was-one-of-the-best-cooks-around/)

[Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/)

> [Nonresidents have a tendency to rush their visits to Harlem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gondelman/nonresidents-have-a-tendency-to-rush-their-visits-to-harlem/)

[Josh Gondelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gondelman/)

> [Living at the YMCA in Harlem dramatically broadened my view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/living-at-the-ymca-in-harlem-dramatically-broadened-my-view-of-the/)

[Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/)

## More by Bernice L. McFadden

> [“We forget about the people we love sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/we-forget-about-the-people-we-love-sometimes/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“Writing kept her sane. Kept her form spinning out of control. Kept her tongue still whenever some white person spoke down to her. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/writing-kept-her-sane-kept-her-form-spinning-out-of-control-kept-her/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“she swung like a pendulum, ticking away the seconds until she would be dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/she-swung-like-a-pendulum-ticking-away-the-seconds-until-she-would-be/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [I write to breathe life back into memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/i-write-to-breathe-life-back-into-memory/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“she'd seen people stand on the shoulders of hate and pluck money and power from the very top shelves of the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/she-d-seen-people-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-hate-and-pluck-money-and/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“Over time her inhibitions took shelter in the corner of the room and Easter allowed the music to swallow her,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/over-time-her-inhibitions-took-shelter-in-the-corner-of-the-room-and/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“we ace boon coons forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/we-ace-boon-coons-forever/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“she would watch with glee as Rain was relegated to standing in her shoes; Easter hoped to God they pinched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/she-would-watch-with-glee-as-rain-was-relegated-to-standing-in-her/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [Only the Strong is a lushly atmospheric and passionately written piece of work, bursting with colorful characters that shine on every page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/only-the-strong-is-a-lushly-atmospheric-and-passionately-written/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“For many years, Tass's life was like an echo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/for-many-years-tass-s-life-was-like-an-echo/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [Listen, if you choose to believe nothing else that transpires here, believe this: your body does not have a soul; your soul has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/listen-if-you-choose-to-believe-nothing-else-that-transpires-here/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“Anger eats up years faster than happiness, chile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/anger-eats-up-years-faster-than-happiness-chile/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“That’s who we were, wartorn meadows on the verge of new growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/that-s-who-we-were-wartorn-meadows-on-the-verge-of-new-growth/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“I write to breath life back into memory to remind African-Americans of our rich and textured history. I also see myself as a "root,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/i-write-to-breath-life-back-into-memory-to-remind-african-americans/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

> [“In 1922 everything changed again. The Eskimo pie was invented; James Joyce's Ulysses was printed in Paris; snow fell on Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Babe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/in-1922-everything-changed-again-the-eskimo-pie-was-invented-james/)

[Bernice L. McFadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

[Explore all 17 Bernice L. McFadden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their way through conversations and disagreements,”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bernice L. McFadden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-they-sang-their-way-through/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-they-sang-their-way-through/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bernice-l-mcfadden-30769_communication_the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-t_2028395.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The people in his Harlem did not speak, they sang their way through conversations and disagreements,” — Bernice L. McFadden",
                "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": "Bernice L. McFadden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-l-mcfadden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The people in his Harlem did...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-they-sang-their-way-through/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-l-mcfadden/the-people-in-his-harlem-did-not-speak-they-sang-their-way-through/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
