"Confronted with the impossibility of remaining faithful to one's beliefs, and the equal impossibility of becoming free of them, one can be driven to the most inhuman excesses"

This quote by James Baldwin talks to the difficulty of keeping one's beliefs in the face of misfortune. It recommends that when confronted with the impossibility of staying real to one's beliefs, and the impossibility of deserting them, one can be driven to severe and inhumane actions. This could be interpreted as a warning against the dangers of fanaticism and extremism, as it indicates that when faced with an apparently impossible circumstance, one can be driven to desperate procedures. It also speaks to the power of beliefs, and how they can form our actions and decisions, even when we are confronted with relatively insurmountable obstacles. Eventually, this quote functions as a pointer of the significance of remaining real to one's beliefs, while likewise being mindful of the prospective repercussions of taking extreme steps.