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Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

James Baldwin, 'As Much Truth As One Can Bear'

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James Baldwin (1924–1987), the American novelist and essayist, wrote this in 'As Much Truth As One Can Bear', an essay in The New York Times Book Review in January 1962. His subject was novelists: he argued that the American writers of his day avoided looking honestly at their own country. The sentence turns on itself, 'everything' becoming 'nothing', and its promise is modest: facing a problem does not guarantee change, but nothing changes without it. Today it is quoted far beyond literature, often in debates about race and justice.

Türkçe oku
Yüzleşilen her şey değiştirilemez; ama yüzleşilmeden hiçbir şey değiştirilemez.
James Baldwin, “As Much Truth As One Can Bear”

Amerikalı romancı ve deneme yazarı James Baldwin (1924–1987) bu cümleyi, Ocak 1962'de The New York Times Book Review'da yayımlanan “As Much Truth As One Can Bear” (“Katlanılabildiği Kadar Gerçek”) adlı denemesinde yazdı. Konusu romancılardı: Döneminin Amerikalı yazarlarının kendi ülkelerine dürüstçe bakmaktan kaçındığını savunuyordu. Cümle kendi üstüne döner, “her şey” ikinci yarıda “hiçbir şey” olur. Verdiği söz de mütevazıdır: Bir sorunla yüzleşmek değişimi garanti etmez, ama yüzleşmeden hiçbir şey değişmez. Bugün edebiyatın çok ötesinde, özellikle ırk ve adalet tartışmalarında sıkça alıntılanıyor.

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Background reading: James Baldwin
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