--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me the prophetic has to do with…" description: "\"For me the prophetic has to do with mustering the courage to love, to empathize, to exercise compassion, and to be committed to justice.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/cornel-west-708_committed_for-me-the-prophetic-has-to-do-with-must_3231161.jpg" --- # For me the prophetic has to do with mustering the courage… ![“For me the prophetic has to do with mustering the courage to love, to empathize, to exercise compassion, and to be committed to justice.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/cornel-west-708_committed_for-me-the-prophetic-has-to-do-with-must_3231161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/cornel-west-708_committed_for-me-the-prophetic-has-to-do-with-must_3231161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/cornel-west-708_committed_for-me-the-prophetic-has-to-do-with-must_3231161.jpg) > “For me the prophetic has to do with mustering the courage to love, to empathize, to exercise compassion, and to be committed to justice.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prophetic courage involves loving, empathizing, showing compassion, and committing to justice, requiring moral bravery. **In simple terms:** Courage = love + empathy + compassion + justice. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy and stand for justice. Themes ethics social justice activism Mood inspirational motivational Type ethical activist When to use this quote - activism - community service - education - personal growth Key Concepts Moral philosophy humanism civic duty Questions to Reflect On - What does prophetic courage look like in your life? - How can you act justly when it’s risky? A Different Perspective Balancing empathy with personal safety can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courage to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage-to-love/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Prophetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophetic/) ## Related quotes > [Courage is the enabling virtue for any philosopher - for any human being, I think, in the end. Courage to think, courage to love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/courage-is-the-enabling-virtue-for-any-philosopher-for-any-human/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Prophetic pragmatism attempts to keep alive the sense of alternative ways of life and of struggle based on the best of the past. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/prophetic-pragmatism-attempts-to-keep-alive-the-sense-of-alternative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak, it means then that if you have a prophetic sensibility, you are committed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-condition-of-truth-is-to-allow-suffering-to-speak-it-means-then/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We've got the wrong vision, the wrong values, the wrong priority, and as the great prophetic figure Marian Edelman Wright puts it, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/we-ve-got-the-wrong-vision-the-wrong-values-the-wrong-priority-and-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Drew Dellinger is one of the most creative, courageous and prophetic poets of his generation. I love his spirit. Don't miss him!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/drew-dellinger-is-one-of-the-most-creative-courageous-and-prophetic/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ When you say that \[Martin Luther\] King was a prophet, you don't say that he predicted anything; you say that he bore witness. He… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-you-say-that-martin-luther-king-was-a-prophet-you-don-t-say-that/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I think that in a certain sense, we're concerned about the same issues. How do you accent the progressive, the prophetic, those things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-that-in-a-certain-sense-we-re-concerned-about-the-same-issues/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I think hip-hop can be prophetic and progressive, and at the same time, the dominant forms tend to be homophobic, misogynistic and something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-hip-hop-can-be-prophetic-and-progressive-and-at-the-same-time/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Christians got a lot of work to do. But, the spirit of Dorothy Day is alive. Martin Luther King is still alive. 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It may be that which pushes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/love-is-a-condition-so-powerful-it-may-be-that-which-pulls-the-stars/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. 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