--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had blackouts, fallen out, of course…" description: "\"I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats, people showing up, putting guns to my wife's head with mask, and people having shot guns in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg" --- # I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats… ![“I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats, people showing up, putting guns to my wife's head with mask, and people having shot guns in the driveway, looking for me or announcing that I've already died before lectures and sending it through newspaper - sending it to newspaper…” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg) > “I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats, people showing up, putting guns to my wife's head with mask, and people having shot guns in the driveway, looking for me or announcing that I've already died before lectures and sending it through newspaper - sending it to newspaper columns they send my mother and so on. There's a real night side to my particular calling, which is try to bear witness to love and truth.” [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. He describes the dangers he faces while speaking truth, emphasizing the personal cost of bearing witness. **In simple terms:** He faces threats while speaking truth. Key Takeaway Stay brave and protect yourself while speaking out. Themes courage truth danger Mood somber determined Type political personal When to use this quote - public speaking - activism - personal safety Key Concepts social justice personal risk Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can protect truth‑tellers? - How do you cope with fear? A Different Perspective Safety concerns may limit activism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Love And Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-truth/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Truth and love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-and-love/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [Ever since Obama's election team and media thugs made me famous for asking a simple question in 2008, I've had more than my share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/ever-since-obama-s-election-team-and-media-thugs-made-me-famous-for/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [The IRS says it's been getting death threats since the health care bill passed because the IRS is going to be the ones in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/the-irs-says-it-s-been-getting-death-threats-since-the-health-care/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I have had death threats from people with fixations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enya/i-have-had-death-threats-from-people-with-fixations/) [Enya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enya/) > [Happiness Is A Warm Gun not about heroin. A gun magazine was sitting there with a smoking gun on the cover and an article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/happiness-is-a-warm-gun-not-about-heroin-a-gun-magazine-was-sitting/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [It's not fun not having one shot on target, but it's life. Then it's a better motivation for the next game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erling-haaland/it-s-not-fun-not-having-one-shot-on-target-but-it-s-life-then-it-s-a/) [Erling Haaland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erling-haaland/) > [I had life threats, because people accused me of approaching Brando as God and his son was Jesus. I literally had people saying my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-donner/i-had-life-threats-because-people-accused-me-of-approaching-brando-as/) [Richard Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-donner/) > [It's not - martyrdom is not something that is common in the Western world, but in the Middle East, in the Orient, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/it-s-not-martyrdom-is-not-something-that-is-common-in-the-western/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [We are talking about one of the greatest threats of all. But people can stand up to the school nurse; you can stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/we-are-talking-about-one-of-the-greatest-threats-of-all-but-people/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [I'm not sure whether it's good fortune or bad, but I've died many times on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-olsson/i-m-not-sure-whether-it-s-good-fortune-or-bad-but-i-ve-died-many/) Ty Olsson > [“Because I've died many deaths, mostly over you, and I'm still alive. Trying to have a relationship with you is like trying to rescue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/because-i-ve-died-many-deaths-mostly-over-you-and-i-m-still-alive/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [“There are no second chances after you’ve died for something,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/there-are-no-second-chances-after-you-ve-died-for-something/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [When you lay down your life for what you are after you've died, you're clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/when-you-lay-down-your-life-for-what-you-are-after-you-ve-died-you-re/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [We’ve died so many times now that we can only wonder why we still care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/we-ve-died-so-many-times-now-that-we-can-only-wonder-why-we-still-care/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Maybe the reason I've never died in this story is that I've never had something worth dying for before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-the-reason-i-ve-never-died-in-this-story-is-that-i-ve-never-had/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I’ve died and gone to heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/i-ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) ## 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. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Announcing quotes > [I myself have not met a self-confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-myself-have-not-met-a-self-confessed-liberal-since-the-late-fifties/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Originally, I think, I wanted to be an actor. But I got into broadcasting by accident, if you will, because I needed money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/originally-i-think-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-got-into/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [If you're not seeing each other anymore because things are so strained, and your only communication is a weekly e-mail, and you're wondering which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/if-you-re-not-seeing-each-other-anymore-because-things-are-so/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [Nobody, but nobody stays a public-address announcer for more than a couple of years. Truly. Public-address announcing is not a career. Public-address announcers only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-sheppard/nobody-but-nobody-stays-a-public-address-announcer-for-more-than-a/) Bob Sheppard > [Stand-up came naturally to me because people in Ireland talk. But that's not talking on panel shows; it is structured fun. It reminds me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/stand-up-came-naturally-to-me-because-people-in-ireland-talk-but-that/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [A group simply announcing a caliphate, is not enough to establish a caliphate,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/a-group-simply-announcing-a-caliphate-is-not-enough-to-establish-a/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [One day I was talking about what I was going to do next, and just found myself announcing it: 'I'm going to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/one-day-i-was-talking-about-what-i-was-going-to-do-next-and-just/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [There are times where I'd say the Oval Office, you use to gather the facts. The decisions you probably make late at night, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-are-times-where-i-d-say-the-oval-office-you-use-to-gather-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There is more in art, with an apology to that much abused word, as applied to photography, than startling display lines, on mounts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-kasebier/there-is-more-in-art-with-an-apology-to-that-much-abused-word-as/) [Gertrude Kasebier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-kasebier/) > [ What happened in Syria was, President \[Barack\] Obama had made a statement announcing what he called his "red line": You can't use chemical weapons,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/what-happened-in-syria-was-president-barack-obama-had-made-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Announcing a withdrawal date, that was wrong. The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/announcing-a-withdrawal-date-that-was-wrong-the-taliban-may-not-have/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign announced that it raised over $1.5 million in the 24 hours after he announced his bid. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/bernie-sanders-presidential-campaign-announced-that-it-raised-over-1/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by announcing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/when-a-man-fails-to-see-the-truth-of-certain-generally-accepted-views/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [People have a right to surf the Web without Big Brother watching their every move and announcing it to the world. The Internet marketplace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-speier/people-have-a-right-to-surf-the-web-without-big-brother-watching/) [Jackie Speier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-speier/) > [I had no agenda in writing this play except expressing myself. . . . It later occurred to me that I was not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mart-crowley/i-had-no-agenda-in-writing-this-play-except-expressing-myself-it/) Mart Crowley Browse all 101 Announcing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats, people showing up, putting guns to my wife's head with mask, and people having shot guns in the driveway, looking for me or announcing that I've already died before lectures and sending it through newspaper - sending it to newspaper columns they send my mother and so on. There's a real night side to my particular calling, which is try to bear witness to love and truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the-death-threats-people-showing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Announcing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the-death-threats-people-showing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/cornel-west-708_announcing_i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the_2769105.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had blackouts, fallen out, of course, the death threats, people showing up, putting guns to my wife's head…” — Cornel West", "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": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had blackouts, fallen out, of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the-death-threats-people-showing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-had-blackouts-fallen-out-of-course-the-death-threats-people-showing/#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 } } ] } ```