--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not…" description: "\"“I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas , where smiling men and welcoming women glide ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/w-e-b-du-bois-2-12864_alexandre-dumas_i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not_2116138.jpg" --- # I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the… ![“I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas , where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of the evening that swing between the strong-limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I summon Aristotle and…” quote by W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/w-e-b-du-bois-2-12864_alexandre-dumas_i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not_2116138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/w-e-b-du-bois-2-12864_alexandre-dumas_i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not_2116138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/w-e-b-du-bois-2-12864_alexandre-dumas_i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not_2116138.jpg) > ““I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas , where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of the evening that swing between the strong-limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius ... and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the Veil.”” [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author envisions a harmonious dialogue with great thinkers across cultures, transcending racial and temporal boundaries to seek truth. **In simple terms:** Connecting with timeless ideas bridges divides. Key Takeaway Seek truth beyond surface differences. Themes cultural dialogue intellectual humility truth seeking racial unity philosophical exploration Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic discussion - personal meditation - creative writing - cross‑cultural education Key Concepts intertextuality transcendence humanism Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor diverse perspectives while pursuing universal truth? - What barriers prevent true cross‑cultural intellectual exchange? A Different Perspective The ideal of seamless intellectual unity may overlook real power tensions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balzac/) [Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumas/) [Marcus-aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marcus-aurelius/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“I sit with Shakespeare, and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm and arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not-across-the-color-line-i-move/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/i-sit-with-shakespeare-and-he-winces-not/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [“The novelist Dumas would one day borrow features from both of his uncles, not to mention his grandfather, the acknowledged scoundrel, in fashioning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/the-novelist-dumas-would-one-day-borrow-features-from-both-of-his/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [Now we sit through Shakespeare in order to recognize the quotations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/now-we-sit-through-shakespeare-in-order-to-recognize-the-quotations/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I wasn't a model schoolboy. 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It abounds in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-henley/the-life-of-dumas-is-not-only-a-monument-of-endeavour-and-success-it/) [William Ernest Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-henley/) > [“Unhappiness cannot but draw tighter the bonds which hold us fast to one another," General Dumas had written to Marie-Louise as he made his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/unhappiness-cannot-but-draw-tighter-the-bonds-which-hold-us-fast-to/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [A win for one is a win for all - and I'm not just saying that because Dumas did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-huffman/a-win-for-one-is-a-win-for-all-and-i-m-not-just-saying-that-because/) [Felicity Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-huffman/) > [Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three most successful female artists alive, if you judge by prices. I've never reviewed her work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/marlene-dumas-is-one-of-the-two-or-three-most-successful-female/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More by W.E.B. Du Bois > [“The South believed an educated Negro to be a dangerous Negro. And the South was not wholly wrong; for education among all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/the-south-believed-an-educated-negro-to-be-a-dangerous-negro-and-the/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“So flagrant became the political scandals that reputable men began to leave politics alone, and politics consequently became disreputable. Men began to pride themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/so-flagrant-became-the-political-scandals-that-reputable-men-began-to/) [W.E.B. 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Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“High in the tower, where I sit above the loud complaining of the human sea, I know many souls that toss and whirl and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/high-in-the-tower-where-i-sit-above-the-loud-complaining-of-the-human/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) [Explore all 53 W.E.B. Du Bois quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) ## More Alexandre-dumas quotes > [“However good-hearted one is, you understand, one eventually stops seeing people who depress you, so in the end Old Dantes was all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/however-good-hearted-one-is-you-understand-one-eventually-stops/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“The king! I thought he was philosopher enough to allow that there was no murder in politics. 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Here is a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/look-look-cried-the-count-seizing-the-young-man-s-hands-look-for-on/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) Browse all 6 Alexandre-dumas quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas , where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of the evening that swing between the strong-limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius ... and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the Veil.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.E.B. 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