I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. — W.E.B. Du Bois · Smartyfair

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I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. — W.E.B. Du Bois · Smartyfair

I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not.

W.E.B. Du Bois1868–1963 · activist · 1800s-1900s USAW.E.B. Du Bois was a Black American writer, historian, and sociologist who became one of the most important civil rights leaders of his time.4 quotes

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In plain words

Reading a great book lets anyone sit as an equal with a great mind.

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shakespeare
winces

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Chapter VI, 'Of the Training of Black Men' — grepped verbatim in the staged Gutenberg text (id 408).
Work: The Souls of Black Folk
Occasion: 1903 · Chapter VI, on the equalizing power of reading great books.
Sources checked: gutenberg.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Project Gutenberg #408, The Souls of Black Folk

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More from W.E.B. Du Bois

I insist that the object of all true education is not to make men carpenters, it is to make carpenters men.

More on learning

A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month's study of books.Chinese proverb

1800s

I loved my school, and the fine faith the children had in the wisdom of their teacher was truly marvellous.

W.E.B. Du Bois

The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

Aristotle

Study the past if you would define the future.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection; second, by imitation; third, by experience.

Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself.

Learning is a kind of natural food for the mind.