--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It began to seem that one would have to…" description: "\"“It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. The first idea was acceptance, the accept..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/james-baldwin-995_justice_it-began-to-seem-that-one-would-have-to_1827074.jpg" --- # It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind… ![“It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. The first idea was acceptance, the acceptance, totally without rancor, of life as it is, and men as they are: in the light of this idea, it goes without saying that injustice is a…” quote by James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/james-baldwin-995_justice_it-began-to-seem-that-one-would-have-to_1827074.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/james-baldwin-995_justice_it-began-to-seem-that-one-would-have-to_1827074.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/james-baldwin-995_justice_it-began-to-seem-that-one-would-have-to_1827074.jpg) > ““It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. The first idea was acceptance, the acceptance, totally without rancor, of life as it is, and men as they are: in the light of this idea, it goes without saying that injustice is a commonplace. But this did not mean that one could be complacent, for the second idea was of equal power: that one must never, in one's own life, accept these injustices as commonplace but must fight them with all one's strength. This fight begins, however, in the heart and it now had been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair. This intimation made my heart heavy and, now that my father was irrecoverable, I wished that he had been beside me so that I could have searched his face for the answers which only the future would give me now.”” [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing acceptance of reality with active resistance to injustice, while maintaining inner peace and hope despite personal loss **In simple terms:** Accept reality but fight injustice, keep heart free of hatred Key Takeaway Hold both acceptance and resistance, stay hopeful Themes acceptance resistance justice grief inner peace Mood reflective determined somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - social movements - self‑reflection - community organizing Key Concepts Ethics psychology social activism mourning Questions to Reflect On - How can one stay compassionate while confronting deep injustice? - What practices keep the heart from hatred? A Different Perspective Maintaining hope while confronting systemic oppression is extremely challenging ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accept Injustices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept-injustices-2056244/) [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Heart Heavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-heavy/) [Hold Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-mind-364516/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-accept/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Saying Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-injustice-2242315/) ## Related quotes > [To hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. The first . . . acceptance totally without rancor, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-hold-in-the-mind-forever-two-ideas-which-seemed-to-be-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The entire quest is for acceptance. You run from pillar to post for being accepted as you are. This quest ends only when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neelam-saxena-chandra/the-entire-quest-is-for-acceptance-you-run-from-pillar-to-post-for/) [Neelam Saxena Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neelam-saxena-chandra/) > [“Real happiness comes into your life when you accept yourself as you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitin-namdeo/real-happiness-comes-into-your-life-when-you-accept-yourself-as-you/) [Nitin Namdeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitin-namdeo/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Nothing but you can lay hold of my mind, and that can lay hold of nothing but you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/nothing-but-you-can-lay-hold-of-my-mind-and-that-can-lay-hold-of/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [It takes a number of years to learn to hold the mind perfectly in one place. But each day we do it a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-takes-a-number-of-years-to-learn-to-hold-the-mind-perfectly-in-one/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Tell me have you ever wanted someone so much it hurts? Your lips keep trying to speak, but you just can't find the words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-antebellum/tell-me-have-you-ever-wanted-someone-so-much-it-hurts-your-lips-keep/) [Lady Antebellum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-antebellum/) > [You create yourself in the image you hold in your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dreier/you-create-yourself-in-the-image-you-hold-in-your-mind/) [Thomas Dreier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dreier/) > [“When you read a book, you hold another's mind in your hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burke/when-you-read-a-book-you-hold-another-s-mind-in-your-hands/) [James Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burke/) > [“I want one last look at something beautiful. I want one last look so that I have something to hold in my mind while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-want-one-last-look-at-something-beautiful-i-want-one-last-look-so/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [The more clear and definite you make your picture then,and the more you dwell upon it, bringing out all its delightful details, the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-more-clear-and-definite-you-make-your-picture-then-and-the-more/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [“Have you ever had a lyric from a really crappy song or advertising jingle get stuck in your head? Something that just won't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-leatham/have-you-ever-had-a-lyric-from-a-really-crappy-song-or-advertising/) [Victoria Leatham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-leatham/) > [“You know, Molly, if you can hold in your mind what you want long enough, you shall have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-allan-rees/you-know-molly-if-you-can-hold-in-your-mind-what-you-want-long-enough/) [Kent Allan Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-allan-rees/) > [Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-you-hold-in-your-mind-will-tend-to-occur-in-your-life-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-specifically-before-you-can-set/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) ## More by James Baldwin > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The South is very beautiful but its beauty makes one sad because the lives that people live, and have lived here, are so ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-south-is-very-beautiful-but-its-beauty-makes-one-sad-because-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“All cultures have, furthermore, an economic, social, and political base, and no culture can continue to live if its political destiny is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/all-cultures-have-furthermore-an-economic-social-and-political-base/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I remembered that life in that room seemed to be occuring beneath the sea, time flowed past indiffrently above us, hours and days had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-remembered-that-life-in-that-room-seemed-to-be-occuring-beneath-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“No. It would help if I were able to feel guilty.But the end of innocence is also the end of guilt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/no-it-would-help-if-i-were-able-to-feel-guilty-but-the-end-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Perhaps now, though, he had hit bottom. One thing about the bottom, he told himself, you can't fall any further. He tried to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/perhaps-now-though-he-had-hit-bottom-one-thing-about-the-bottom-he/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“What kind of friendship have you had? Or for that matter...what kind of love affairs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/what-kind-of-friendship-have-you-had-or-for-that-matter-what-kind-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for what they become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/for-these-are-all-our-children-we-will-all-profit-by-or-pay-for-what/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Every society is really governed by hidden laws, by unspoken but profound assumptions on the part of the people, and ours is no exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/every-society-is-really-governed-by-hidden-laws-by-unspoken-but/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In those days my mother was given to the exasperating and mysterious habit of having babies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-those-days-my-mother-was-given-to-the-exasperating-and-mysterious/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“He was suggesting that all Negroes were held in a state of supreme tension between the difficult, dangerous relationship in which they stood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/he-was-suggesting-that-all-negroes-were-held-in-a-state-of-supreme/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In the beginning—and neither can this be overstated—a Negro just cannot believe that white people are treating him as they do; he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-the-beginning-and-neither-can-this-be-overstated-a-negro-just/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“If the world wasn't so full of dead folks maybe those of us that's trying to live wouldn't have to suffer so bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/if-the-world-wasn-t-so-full-of-dead-folks-maybe-those-of-us-that-s/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I am very much concerned that American Negroes achieve their freedom here in the United States. But I am also concerned for their dignity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-am-very-much-concerned-that-american-negroes-achieve-their-freedom/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The paradox—and a fearful paradox it is—is that the American Negro can have no future anywhere, on any continent, as long as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-paradox-and-a-fearful-paradox-it-is-is-that-the-american-negro/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) [Explore all 312 James Baldwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. 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