Q0614
“O my body, make of me always a man who questions!” — Frantz Fanon (Black Skin, White Masks, conclusion (1952))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Black Skin, White Masks, conclusion (1952). Theme: self.
English
O my body, make of me always a man who questions!
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Black Skin, White Masks, conclusion (1952) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon (1925–1961) was a Martinican psychiatrist and anti-colonial theorist who practiced in Algeria and joined the FLN. Black Skin, White Masks analyzes the psychic effects of antiblack racism; The Wretched of the Earth theorizes decolonization, violence, and national culture.
How to read this passage
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, inquiry, freedom.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Inquiry
- Inquiry is the disciplined pursuit of better questions and answers—philosophy as method rather than dogma.
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Frantz Fanon. (n.d.). O my body, make of me always a man who questions! In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0614
MLA: Frantz Fanon. “O my body, make of me always a….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0614.
Chicago: Frantz Fanon. “O my body, make of me always a….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0614.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “O my body, make of me always a…”?
The passage is attributed to Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks, conclusion (1952). The archive attributes this English wording to Black Skin, White Masks, conclusion (1952) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Frantz Fanon mean by self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, inquiry, freedom.