We smile, but oh great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile, But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Where these words come from
- 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- We Wear the Mask, final stanza; Complete closing stanza. Acknowledges hidden suffering and the burden of concealing it; not a claim that hardship disappears. Public-domain text from the Academy of American Poets.
- We Wear the Mask, final stanza
More inspiration
See allYou gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Eleanor RooseveltNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor RooseveltLittle strokes fell great oaks.
Benjamin FranklinEnergy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin FranklinWell done is better than well said.
Benjamin FranklinIf there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Frederick Douglass
Eleanor RooseveltNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor RooseveltLittle strokes fell great oaks.
Benjamin FranklinEnergy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin FranklinWell done is better than well said.
Benjamin FranklinIf there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Frederick Douglass