"Do you know most of the Jewish songs have the same trend of sadness as Negro spirituals?"

Sadness

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on sadness by Mahalia Jackson resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in sadness is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to the development and spread of gospel blues in black churches throughout the U.S. During a time when racial segregation was pervasive in American society, she met considerable and unexpected success in a recording career, selling an estimated 22 million records and performing in front of integrated and secular audiences in concert halls around the world, making her one of the best-selling gospel music artists.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the ShortQuote Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Mahalia Jackson

"The Lord doesn't like us to be dead. Be alive. Sometimes I dance to the glory of the Lord, because He said so."

— Mahalia Jackson
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"Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope."

— Mahalia Jackson
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"Sometimes you ask God for something and you don't know what you're asking."

— Mahalia Jackson
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More about Sadness

"Now I'll read anytime, anywhere. I love reading in front of the space heater. Isn't that a sad confession? But it's like my substitute for the roaring fireplace of yore."

— Karen Russell
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"With the other fellow actors who have gone astray, I think it's sad that society wants to label the business as doing this to people. It's really not true."

— Tina Yothers
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"A lot of our entertainment throws into detail the stagnation and illness of how we live today-it's sad and it's sick... and it's profitable."

— Heather Donahue
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"Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way."

— Anne Morrow Lindbergh
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