--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm committed to the idea that one of the…" description: "\"I'm committed to the idea that one of the few things human beings have to offer is the richness of unconscious and conscious emotional responses to bei..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/ntozake-shange-11891_alive_i-m-committed-to-the-idea-that-one-of-th_1203138.jpg" --- # I'm committed to the idea that one of the few things human… ![“I'm committed to the idea that one of the few things human beings have to offer is the richness of unconscious and conscious emotional responses to being alive. ... The kind of esteem that's given to brightness/smartness obliterates average people or slow learners from participating fully in human…” quote by Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/ntozake-shange-11891_alive_i-m-committed-to-the-idea-that-one-of-th_1203138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/ntozake-shange-11891_alive_i-m-committed-to-the-idea-that-one-of-th_1203138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/ntozake-shange-11891_alive_i-m-committed-to-the-idea-that-one-of-th_1203138.jpg) > “I'm committed to the idea that one of the few things human beings have to offer is the richness of unconscious and conscious emotional responses to being alive. ... The kind of esteem that's given to brightness/smartness obliterates average people or slow learners from participating fully in human life, particularly technical and intellectual life. But you cannot exclude any human being from emotional participation.” [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Everyone deserves emotional participation, regardless of intellect; valuing only brilliance marginalizes many. **In simple terms:** All people should share in emotional life. Key Takeaway Include everyone in emotional and intellectual spaces. Themes inclusion emotional intelligence diversity Mood empathetic reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - technical fields - community events Key Concepts human rights education workplace culture Practical Applications - emotional discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we value both emotional and analytical contributions? - What structures support inclusive participation? A Different Perspective Emotional focus can be seen as less rational in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-response/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-life/) [Learners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learners/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Participation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Richness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richness/) ## Related quotes > [Since I am not actually a real human being, my emotional responses are generally limited to what I have learned to fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/since-i-am-not-actually-a-real-human-being-my-emotional-responses-are/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [The question of how and why the encrustations and rigidifications of human emotional life are brought about led directly into the realm of vegetative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-question-of-how-and-why-the-encrustations-and-rigidifications-of/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [The human emotional system can be broken down into roughly two elements: fear and love. Love is of the soul. Fear is of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-human-emotional-system-can-be-broken-down-into-roughly-two/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [“I would rather be calm and focused, than human and emotional.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/i-would-rather-be-calm-and-focused-than-human-and-emotional/) [Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/) > [I'm a complete human being. I'm very emotional and loving. I feel, I hurt, I give, I take, and also I think. I analyze.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-m-a-complete-human-being-i-m-very-emotional-and-loving-i-feel-i/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [“Material things are no replacement for human, emotional love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/material-things-are-no-replacement-for-human-emotional-love/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [It's a big thing in my music to highlight being human - being emotional and powerful, like a goddess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/it-s-a-big-thing-in-my-music-to-highlight-being-human-being-emotional/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [“Human is an emotional animal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nava/human-is-an-emotional-animal/) Nava > [What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/what-music-is-better-able-to-do-than-language-is-to-represent-the/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [There's something about a roller coaster that triggers strong feelings, maybe because most of us associate them with childhood. They're inherently cinematic; the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/there-s-something-about-a-roller-coaster-that-triggers-strong/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [“The “Intense World” paper proposed that if the amygdala, which is associated with emotional responses, including fear, is affected by sensory overload, then certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/the-intense-world-paper-proposed-that-if-the-amygdala-which-is/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [“...and she no longer is having her emotional responses to...stress numbed by medication. "I've been off the drugs for two years, and sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/and-she-no-longer-is-having-her-emotional-responses-to-stress-numbed/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“From time to time the by-products of using your inner energy worker will result in your experiencing odd sensations, seeming illnesses, unusual pimples or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-seiler/from-time-to-time-the-by-products-of-using-your-inner-energy-worker/) [Elaine Seiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-seiler/) > [People all want and need different emotional responses - some people like to be talked down when they're angry; some people want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-v-gordon/people-all-want-and-need-different-emotional-responses-some-people/) [Emily V. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-v-gordon/) > [If our principles are only our principles when it is convenient for us, when they align with our visceral emotional responses, then they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-our-principles-are-only-our-principles-when-it-is-convenient-for/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## More by Ntozake Shange > [My characters don't talk necessarily in a normal American way of talking. They talk a little different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-characters-don-t-talk-necessarily-in-a-normal-american-way-of/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/it-still-amazes-and-fascinates-me-that-women-of-color-have-kept-my/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I write for young girls of color, for girls who don't even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-write-for-young-girls-of-color-for-girls-who-don-t-even-exist-yet/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [My family moved around a lot, so I don't have any friends that I had all my life, but I did have annual trips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-family-moved-around-a-lot-so-i-don-t-have-any-friends-that-i-had/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Creation is everything you do. Make something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/creation-is-everything-you-do-make-something/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Where there is a woman there is magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/where-there-is-a-woman-there-is-magic/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [i usedta live in the world really be in the world free & sweet talkin good mornin & thank-you & nice day uh huh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-usedta-live-in-the-world-really-be-in-the-world-free-sweet-talkin/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/the-slaves-who-were-ourselves-had-known-terror-intimately-confused/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [White people use their literature to maintain culture. That's why you find references to Milton and Spencer and Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky in contemporary novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/white-people-use-their-literature-to-maintain-culture-that-s-why-you/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Multiculturalism isn't about culture, it's about power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/multiculturalism-isn-t-about-culture-it-s-about-power/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Art gives us the opportunity to have clarity as well as hope that we might be able to survive a situation, or hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/art-gives-us-the-opportunity-to-have-clarity-as-well-as-hope-that-we/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I think art is a healing force, and if we give in to the joy that can be found in art, then we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-think-art-is-a-healing-force-and-if-we-give-in-to-the-joy-that-can/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Being alive and being a woman is all I got, but being colored is a metaphysical dilemma I haven't conquered yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/being-alive-and-being-a-woman-is-all-i-got-but-being-colored-is-a/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [When I die, I will no be guilty of having left a generation of girls behind thinking that anyone can tend to their emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-i-die-i-will-no-be-guilty-of-having-left-a-generation-of-girls/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-lost-my-ability-to-read-and/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) [Explore all 57 Ntozake Shange quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm committed to the idea that one of the few things human beings have to offer is the richness of unconscious and conscious emotional responses to being alive. ... The kind of esteem that's given to brightness/smartness obliterates average people or slow learners from participating fully in human life, particularly technical and intellectual life. 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