Quote of the Day (Bill Withers, on ‘This Miracle of the United States’)

“I have seen America and all the weird phases it has been through, all the cruelty and all the kindness. I was born on the Fourth of July. That makes me very American. But I have not been imprisoned by any culture. What’s that Joni Mitchell said, ‘I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now’? I’ve looked at America from both sides — the ugly and the whatever. That’s why I say it’s this miracle of the United States.” —American soul singer Bill Withers (1938-2020), quoted in Ben Sisario, “Still Bill, But He’ll Allow the Attention,” The New York Times, Sept. 20, 2015

(The photo accompanying this post shows Bill Withers—with Cornell Dupree in the background—at the tribute concert for Withers held Aug. 9, 2008.)