--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time I saw Reverend…" description: "\"“The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example, he came strolling across the parking lot of the motel where I was staying, his hat perched p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg" --- # The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example… ![“The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example, he came strolling across the parking lot of the motel where I was staying, his hat perched precariously between the back of his skull and the nape of his neck, alone. It was late at night, and Shuttlesworth was a marked man in Birmingham…” quote by James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg) > ““The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example, he came strolling across the parking lot of the motel where I was staying, his hat perched precariously between the back of his skull and the nape of his neck, alone. It was late at night, and Shuttlesworth was a marked man in Birmingham. He came up into my room, and, while we talked, he kept walking back and forth to the window. I finally realized that he was keeping an eye on his car—making sure that no one put a bomb in it, perhaps. As he said nothing about this, however, naturally I could not. But I was worried about his driving home alone, and, as he was leaving, I could not resist saying something to this effect. And he smiled—smiled as though I were a novice, with much to learn, which was true, and as though he would be glad to give me a few pointers, which, indeed, not much later on, he did—and told me he’d be all right and went downstairs and got into his car, switched on the motor and drove off into the soft Alabama night. There was no hint of defiance or bravado in his manner. Only, when I made my halting observation concerning his safety, a shade of sorrow crossed his face, deep, impatient, dark; then it was gone. It was the most impersonal anguish I had ever seen on a man’s face. It was as though he were wrestling with the mighty fact that the danger in which he stood was as nothing compared to the spiritual horror which drove those who were trying to destroy him. They endangered him, but they doomed themselves.”” [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. A civil‑rights leader appears calm but carries deep, personal anguish about constant danger and the moral terror of his oppressors. **In simple terms:** Leader shows hidden sorrow under calm exterior. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden struggles in others. Themes courage danger spiritual conflict Mood somber respectful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - leadership - personal safety - community organizing Key Concepts civil rights psychology morality Questions to Reflect On - How do you support those who hide pain? - What does this reveal about moral courage? A Different Perspective The leader’s composure may conceal vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anguish Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish-seen-5452421/) [Driving home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving-home/) [Finally Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finally-realized/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Home alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-alone/) [Night Shuttlesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-shuttlesworth-5701366/) [Reverend Shuttlesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverend-shuttlesworth-5701363/) [Shuttlesworth Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shuttlesworth-example-5701364/) [Shuttlesworth Marked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shuttlesworth-marked-5701365/) ## Related quotes > [“He remembered his father saying that when angels fell, they fell in anguish, because once they had seen the face of God, and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-remembered-his-father-saying-that-when-angels-fell-they-fell-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“When angels fell, they fell in anguish, because once they had seen the face of God, and now they never would again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/when-angels-fell-they-fell-in-anguish-because-once-they-had-seen-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Luke knelt beside me and put his arms around me. 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She rarely travelled this far south…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mofina/driving-home-after-her-first-night-course-at-san-francisco-state/) [Rick Mofina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mofina/) > [I quite clearly remember driving home at 9 a.m., after shooting all day, in a bathrobe, with bodypaint all over my face, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-quite-clearly-remember-driving-home-at-9-a-m-after-shooting-all-day/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [Driving to Vegas is awesome... Driving home From Vegas sucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/driving-to-vegas-is-awesome-driving-home-from-vegas-sucks/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [On film, when you're driving home from the set, you realize what you should have done, but it's too late. When you're taking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/on-film-when-you-re-driving-home-from-the-set-you-realize-what-you/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [“Driving home, I heard the explosion and thought it was a new story born. But, Adrian, it’s the same old story, whispered past the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/driving-home-i-heard-the-explosion-and-thought-it-was-a-new-story/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Producing is so exciting because you can enable things to happen, whether it's like discovering a filmmaker who you're taking a chance on, protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/producing-is-so-exciting-because-you-can-enable-things-to-happen/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I remember driving home one evening while they were reviewing the papers on the radio. One of the articles was about me separating from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-bremner/i-remember-driving-home-one-evening-while-they-were-reviewing-the/) [Rory Bremner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-bremner/) > [By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/by-measuring-the-proportion-of-children-living-with-the-same-parents/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) ## 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. 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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 Driving home quotes > [By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/by-measuring-the-proportion-of-children-living-with-the-same-parents/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [I remember driving home one evening while they were reviewing the papers on the radio. One of the articles was about me separating from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-bremner/i-remember-driving-home-one-evening-while-they-were-reviewing-the/) [Rory Bremner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-bremner/) > [Producing is so exciting because you can enable things to happen, whether it's like discovering a filmmaker who you're taking a chance on, protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/producing-is-so-exciting-because-you-can-enable-things-to-happen/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [“Driving home, I heard the explosion and thought it was a new story born. But, Adrian, it’s the same old story, whispered past the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/driving-home-i-heard-the-explosion-and-thought-it-was-a-new-story/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [On film, when you're driving home from the set, you realize what you should have done, but it's too late. When you're taking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/on-film-when-you-re-driving-home-from-the-set-you-realize-what-you/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [Driving to Vegas is awesome... Driving home From Vegas sucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/driving-to-vegas-is-awesome-driving-home-from-vegas-sucks/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [I quite clearly remember driving home at 9 a.m., after shooting all day, in a bathrobe, with bodypaint all over my face, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-quite-clearly-remember-driving-home-at-9-a-m-after-shooting-all-day/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [“Driving home after her first night course at San Francisco State University, Iris was adrift in the darkness. She rarely travelled this far south…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mofina/driving-home-after-her-first-night-course-at-san-francisco-state/) [Rick Mofina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mofina/) > [“ Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-man-on-a-track-walking-thirty/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“Driving home that night, I felt so much better. I was no longer a freak of nature--the kind of freak that spends every waking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/driving-home-that-night-i-felt-so-much-better-i-was-no-longer-a-freak/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [Really appreciate the sunset as you're driving home, cursing all the terrible drivers on the road. Be where you are when you're there rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/really-appreciate-the-sunset-as-you-re-driving-home-cursing-all-the/) [Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/) > [“You are driving home. You listen to ‘Tongue Tied’ by Grouplove. Someone side-swipes the Ferrari. You almost strike three pedestrians and crash into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-kleine/you-are-driving-home-you-listen-to-tongue-tied-by-grouplove-someone/) [Mike Kleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-kleine/) > [“Luke knelt beside me and put his arms around me. I heard, he said, on the car radio, driving home. Don’t worry, I’m sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/luke-knelt-beside-me-and-put-his-arms-around-me-i-heard-he-said-on/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [One night a guy and a girl were driving home from the movies. The boy sensed there was something wrong because of the painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-night-a-guy-and-a-girl-were-driving-home-from-the-movies-the-boy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love driving through Western Massachusetts, out through the Berkshires, when the road is empty and it's a nice day. I don't like driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-iagnemma/i-love-driving-through-western-massachusetts-out-through-the/) [Karl Iagnemma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-iagnemma/) [Browse all 61 Driving home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving-home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example, he came strolling across the parking lot of the motel where I was staying, his hat perched precariously between the back of his skull and the nape of his neck, alone. It was late at night, and Shuttlesworth was a marked man in Birmingham. He came up into my room, and, while we talked, he kept walking back and forth to the window. I finally realized that he was keeping an eye on his car—making sure that no one put a bomb in it, perhaps. As he said nothing about this, however, naturally I could not. But I was worried about his driving home alone, and, as he was leaving, I could not resist saying something to this effect. And he smiled—smiled as though I were a novice, with much to learn, which was true, and as though he would be glad to give me a few pointers, which, indeed, not much later on, he did—and told me he’d be all right and went downstairs and got into his car, switched on the motor and drove off into the soft Alabama night. There was no hint of defiance or bravado in his manner. Only, when I made my halting observation concerning his safety, a shade of sorrow crossed his face, deep, impatient, dark; then it was gone. It was the most impersonal anguish I had ever seen on a man’s face. It was as though he were wrestling with the mighty fact that the danger in which he stood was as nothing compared to the spiritual horror which drove those who were trying to destroy him. They endangered him, but they doomed themselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Baldwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttlesworth-for-example-he-came/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Driving home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttlesworth-for-example-he-came/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/james-baldwin-995_driving-home_the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttleswo_2347123.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first time I saw Reverend Shuttlesworth, for example, he came strolling across the parking lot of the…” — James Baldwin", "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": "James Baldwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The first time I saw Reverend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttlesworth-for-example-he-came/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-first-time-i-saw-reverend-shuttlesworth-for-example-he-came/#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 } } ] } ```