Political Quotes

W.E.B. Du Bois: Twenty years he wandered,—twenty years and more; and yet the hard rasping question kept gnawing within him, “What, in…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1903
Twenty years he wandered,—twenty years and more; and yet the hard rasping question kept gnawing within him, “What, in God’s name, am I on earth for?” In the narrow New York parish his soul seemed cramped and smothered.
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W.E.B. Du Bois

Editor's note · Context

From his seminal work, this passage captures the persistent existential questioning and spiritual confinement experienced by an individual seeking meaning.

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