--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know why people always compare me…" description: "\"I don't know why people always compare me [ with Amiri Baraka] I was never part of the Black Arts Repertory Theater or the Black Arts Movement; people ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ishmael-reed-7430_art_i-don-t-know-why-people-always-compare-m_1439827.jpg" --- # I don't know why people always compare me \[ with Amiri… ![“I don't know why people always compare me [ with Amiri Baraka] I was never part of the Black Arts Repertory Theater or the Black Arts Movement; people who claim that I was are wrong. I was downtown. I was living in Chelsea when they were operating in Harlem.” quote by Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ishmael-reed-7430_art_i-don-t-know-why-people-always-compare-m_1439827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ishmael-reed-7430_art_i-don-t-know-why-people-always-compare-m_1439827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ishmael-reed-7430_art_i-don-t-know-why-people-always-compare-m_1439827.jpg) > “I don't know why people always compare me \[ with Amiri Baraka\] I was never part of the Black Arts Repertory Theater or the Black Arts Movement; people who claim that I was are wrong. I was downtown. I was living in Chelsea when they were operating in Harlem.” [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reed rejects being labeled as part of the Black Arts Movement, emphasizing his distinct geographic and artistic context, and challenges simplistic categorization. **In simple terms:** Reed says he isn’t part of the Black Arts Movement; he’s separate. Key Takeaway Recognize individual artistic identities. Themes identity artistic autonomy mislabeling Mood critical defensive Type interview philosophical When to use this quote - artistic community building - historical analysis - media literacy Key Concepts Cultural criticism self‑definition Questions to Reflect On - How do labels shape our perception of artists? - When is it appropriate to assign movement affiliations? A Different Perspective Labels can oversimplify complex artistic journeys. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Black art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-art/) [Harlem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harlem/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) ## Related quotes > [ I was roommates with 2 of the guys who were influential in forming the Black Arts philosophy. I called them "goons," and \[Amiri\] Baraka… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-was-roommates-with-2-of-the-guys-who-were-influential-in-forming/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [ As for \[Amiri\] Baraka, he and I have disagreements. I mean, he becomes a demagogue when there's an audience. He's a nice guy in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/as-for-amiri-baraka-he-and-i-have-disagreements-i-mean-he-becomes-a/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Do you know how to read?" "No. It is one of the black arts." He nodded. "But a useful one," he said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/do-you-know-how-to-read-no-it-is-one-of-the-black-arts-he-nodded-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“There might be a charm in the black arts section of the library, but black earth magic used nasty ingredients—like indispensable people parts—and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/there-might-be-a-charm-in-the-black-arts-section-of-the-library-but/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [In 1967, the students at San Francisco State invited the poet Amiri Baraka to the campus for a semester. He attracted other influential black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/in-1967-the-students-at-san-francisco-state-invited-the-poet-amiri/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) > [Amiri Baraka went to Howard. Lucille Clifton went to Howard. Ossie Davis went to Howard. And I was aware of that when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/amiri-baraka-went-to-howard-lucille-clifton-went-to-howard-ossie/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I remember going to see Amiri Baraka. It wasn't actually too long before he died. He said, "You've got to write to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-remember-going-to-see-amiri-baraka-it-wasn-t-actually-too-long/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [From Borges, those wonderful gaucho stories from which I learned that you can be specific as to a time and place and culture and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/from-borges-those-wonderful-gaucho-stories-from-which-i-learned-that/) [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/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [“It's always difficult when people compare me unfavorably with other contemporary writers. It's much easier when they use examples from earlier eras of fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/it-s-always-difficult-when-people-compare-me-unfavorably-with-other/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [What I noticed about living by the sea when I moved to London was that it's really bad when you only have lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/what-i-noticed-about-living-by-the-sea-when-i-moved-to-london-was/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [I don't listen to what people say about me and I don't read what they write about me. People can compare me to anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-davis/i-don-t-listen-to-what-people-say-about-me-and-i-don-t-read-what-they/) [Eric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-davis/) > [When you come from nowhere, I am fully aware of the fact that people have to compare you to other artists to kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mika/when-you-come-from-nowhere-i-am-fully-aware-of-the-fact-that-people/) [Mika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mika/) > [But yeah, a lot of people compare me to Magic. The physical appearance, the tall point guard, the ability to pass the ball. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-livingston/but-yeah-a-lot-of-people-compare-me-to-magic-the-physical-appearance/) [Shaun Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-livingston/) ## More by Ishmael Reed > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Richard Price, who has made a fortune writing fake ghetto books, says he takes a cab into the ghetto, transcribes Black speech for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/richard-price-who-has-made-a-fortune-writing-fake-ghetto-books-says/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Free enterprise is not a bad idea and has produced art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/free-enterprise-is-not-a-bad-idea-and-has-produced-art/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Tea Party members go to meetings on Medicare scooters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/tea-party-members-go-to-meetings-on-medicare-scooters/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Given all of the anti-Muslim propaganda that's being disseminated by The American Nazi media, you have to be careful. It can stress you out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/given-all-of-the-anti-muslim-propaganda-that-s-being-disseminated-by/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Multicultural is not a description of a category of American writing-it is a definition of all American writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/multicultural-is-not-a-description-of-a-category-of-american-writing/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Writing has made me a better man. It has put me in contact with those fleeting moments which prove the existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/writing-has-made-me-a-better-man-it-has-put-me-in-contact-with-those/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [In Crash, you've got a pathological cop who at the end justifies police brutality. He tells the naïve, young cop that you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/in-crash-you-ve-got-a-pathological-cop-who-at-the-end-justifies/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I get most my information about what's happening in the United States from reports and studies, which are often in conflict with what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-get-most-my-information-about-what-s-happening-in-the-united-states/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [ How does the \[New York\] Times treat White pathology? They reported an epidemic of heroin addiction in the Philadelphia suburbs. which included emergency admissions… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/how-does-the-new-york-times-treat-white-pathology-they-reported-an/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I asked Joe Weixlmann why he would print a death threat like that in light of the fact that there are all of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-asked-joe-weixlmann-why-he-would-print-a-death-threat-like-that-in/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I'm beginning to believe that Killer Illiteracy ought to rank near heart disease and cancer as one of the leading causes of deathamong Americans.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-m-beginning-to-believe-that-killer-illiteracy-ought-to-rank-near/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Writing poetry is the hard manual labor of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/writing-poetry-is-the-hard-manual-labor-of-the-imagination/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Few white citizens are acquainted with blacks other than those projected by the media and the so--called educational system, whichis nothing more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/few-white-citizens-are-acquainted-with-blacks-other-than-those/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) [Explore all 91 Ishmael Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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