Back to posting quotes from books I have read. These came from “James” by Percival Everett. Probably nothing striking here, and these thoughts have been expressed many times elsewhere. But they struck me as relevant to our times as we approach the 2024 presidential election.

“James” is Everett retelling the story of “Huckleberry Finn” from Jim, a slave in Mark Twain’s book. Jim, who talks in his “slave language,” starts the conversation below with Huck:

“But dey was stealin’ from dem folks. Tellin’ lies lak dey was. He weren’t neber no pirate.”

“Yes, but them people liked it, Jim. Did you see their faces? They had to know them was lies, but they wanted to believe. What do you make of that?”

“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares’em.”

And further in the book, Everett has Jim but it bluntly:

“Belief has nothing to do with truth”