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White Quotes

Honest reflections on identity and race.

This collection gathers personal reflections on racial identity, including memories of growing up in a mostly separate community and the ongoing search for roles that were written with a different actor in mind. It connects to broader conversations in our Black quotes.

I always felt culturally adrift as a child because I'm mixed race. I've had to deal with that since I was little. Who am I? What makeup do I have? What are the black and the white?

Quotes by Rhiannon Giddens

There was such hostility to the idea of a banjo being a black instrument. It was co-opted by this white supremacist notion that old-time music was the inheritance of white America.

Quotes by Rhiannon Giddens

I play a replica of a banjo from the 1950s. It was the first commercial-style banjo in the United States so it's the first one that white people played.

Quotes by Rhiannon Giddens

I used to go to raves, but I was never into the whistles and white gloves.

Quotes by Rhona Mitra

I lived and grew up in the black and white period of photojournalism.

Quotes by Rene Burri

I would have liked to invent the plain white shirt, with a skirt and pants to go with it.

Quotes by Rei Kawakubo

One time, just passing by, I happened to see Jack White from the White Stripes. I'm a huge White Stripes fan, and I did a whole 180. It was like my jaw hit the ground.

Quotes by Reid Scott

The more traditional bride still prefers white or ivory, but the young girls... seem to like the idea of using colors.

Quotes by Reem Acra

In Alabama, we have ribs with a white sauce, which is really great.

Quotes by Reg E. Cathey

I managed Dal Maxvill, and he's now our general manager. I managed Bob Gibson. He's a broadcaster. Tim McCarver. Bill White. Nellie Briles. He used to be a broadcaster. I tried to count them up one time.

Quotes by Red Schoendienst

I tried moving to the more white area, but I found that every night I was getting harassed by police.

Quotes by Redman

There are all kinds of ways in which especially white men in this country have been helped by the government.

Quotes by Rebecca Traister

In this country, there is a segregation of Black Turks and White Turks. Your brother Tayyip belongs to the Black Turks.

Quotes by Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The white man has got the gold out of the land which belonged to the red man.

Quotes by Red Cloud

There are infinite shades of grey. Writing often appears so black and white.

Quotes by Rebecca Solnit

I remember watching Wesley Snipes as Blade. I watched Michael Jai White as Spawn. I even watch Shaquille O'Neal as Steel. I felt like seeing a physical representation, a non-cartoon representation, affected me in a much different way.

Quotes by Ray Fisher

Newfoundlanders, what are we? We're slobbering idiots, slack-jawed simpletons, rustic fish billies living in Dogpatch-on-the-rocks, lower than lower Slobovians, the laughing stock and 'white trash' of Canada.

Quotes by Ray Guy

As a rule, anything that is pretty you avoid when on an expedition in the polar extremes. Normally anything other than white means a hazard such as a crevasse.

Quotes by Ranulph Fiennes

All white people in the United States have benefited from a white supremacy. But does that mean that a white person should be viewed badly because they turn against a white supremacist policy? Just because you've benefited from something shouldn't...

Quotes by Randall Kennedy

In elite, primarily white institutions, there are many blacks who have white wives. So much so that sometimes there is almost the assumption that I would be married to a white woman.

Quotes by Randall Kennedy

Frequently Asked Questions

What perspectives does this collection of White quotes offer?
These are genuine personal reflections on race, identity, and belonging: growing up in a Cherokee family that lived apart from white neighbors, aspiring to the kind of range actors like Denzel Washington or Jodie Foster get, noticing casual racism secondhand among friends, and a play on words about moving between very different worlds. If you're interested in complementary perspectives, our Black collection is a natural next stop.
Is there a quote about growing up with a segregated experience?
Yes — one quote recalls, "I came from a family that was pretty insularly Cherokee. We kept to ourselves - the white people were there, and we were here, and it was practically a segregated kind of thing." It's a direct, personal account of a divided community growing up.
Is there a quote about aspiring to the kind of roles typically written for white actors?
There is. One quote shares an aspiration "to find scripts written for white actors - or Jodie Foster, who reads scripts for male actors," citing Denzel Washington as an example of someone who does this. It's a thoughtful reflection on range and opportunity in acting.
Is there a quote about experiencing racism secondhand?
Yes — one quote describes it plainly: "My encounters with racism are sort of second-hand situations where I might be standing around with a group of white friends and someone makes a comment that they wouldn't make at my family reunion." It's an honest, specific account rather than a general statement about race relations.
Is there a quote that plays with the phrase 'White House'?
Yes — one quote uses wordplay to make a point about identity: "I can dine at the White House, but I can still hang at the 'hood." It's a clever line about moving comfortably between very different worlds. For a related contrast, see our Black And White collection, or our House collection for more on the word 'house.'

One entry describes a secondhand brush with a racist remark made among friends, a moment worth reading alongside our Black And White quotes, while a lighter closing line plays on the phrase White House, tying into our House quotes.