Most of Us Are About as Eager To Be Changed as We Were To Be Born

James Baldwin? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: Change is onerous. The prominent writer James Baldwin once constructed a vivid analogy between change and birth. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Quote Investigator: In 1977 James Baldwin published an article titled “Every Good-bye Ain’t Gone” in “New York” magazine containing the following passage. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:^[1] 1977 December 19, New York Magazine, Every Good-bye Ain’t Gone by James Baldwin, Start Page 64, Quote Page 68, NYM Corporation, New York. (Google Books Full View)

Most of us are about as eager to be changed as we were to be born, and go through our changes in a similar state of shock. Including this writer, of course, who was far, however, years ago, from being able to forgive himself for being so irretrievably human.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

In 1996 the quotation appeared in “Cassell Dictionary of Contemporary Quotations” compiled by Robert Andrews:^[2] 1996, Cassell Dictionary of Contemporary Quotations, Edited by Robert Andrews, Topic: Change, Quote Page 70, Column 1, Cassell, London, England, Distributed by Sterling. (Verified with scans)

Most of us are about as eager to be changed as we were to be born, and go through our changes in a similar state of shock.

James Baldwin (1924-1987), U.S. author: ‘Every Good-Bye Ain’t Gone’, first publ. in New York, 19 Dec. 1977, rep. in The Price of the Ticket (1985)

In 1999 a piece in “The Guardian” newspaper of London employed the quotation while crediting Baldwin:^[3] 1999 January 9, The Guardian, Section: The Guardian Weekend, Whatever next? Ira Matathia and Marian Salzman, Start Page 31, Quote Page 31, London, England. (ProQuest)

One of the terms that has emerged in the past couple of years is “pre-millennial tension”. James Baldwin wrote, “Most of us are about as eager to be changed as we were to be born, and go through our changes in a similar state of shock.” We know changes are coming, but we don’t know what exactly they’ll be. The result: an intensified search for security. We oscillate between optimism and anxiety.

In 2006 the remark with an ascription to Baldwin appeared in “Treasury of Wit & Wisdom” compiled by The Reader’s Digest Association.^[4]2006, Treasury of Wit & Wisdom: 4,000 of the Funniest, Cleverest, Most Insightful Things Ever Said, Compiled by Jeff Bredenberg, Topic: Debate, Quote Page 249, The Reader’s Digest … Continue reading

In conclusion, James Baldwin should receive credit for the statement he wrote in “New York” magazine in 1977.

(Great thanks to the anonymous person who asked about several remarks attributed to James Baldwin. That inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.)