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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.

There's a big gap between 'Click the link to send an e-mail to your congressman' and 'Chain yourself to the White House.'

Quotes by Billy Parish

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'.

Quotes by Bing Crosby

White people get nervous and speed things up. You don't have to be in a hurry because you ain't got nothing to gain and you ain't got nothin' to lose. And that's where the groove lies.

Quotes by Billy Gibbons

Only when Christ comes again will the little white children of Alabama walk hand in hand with little black children.

Quotes by Billy Graham

In movies we tend make things black and white: you're either this, or you're that.

Quotes by Bill Skarsgard

The Clinton White House today said they would start to give national security and intelligence briefings to George Bush. I don't know how well this is working out. Today after the first one Bush said, 'I've got one question: What...

Quotes by Bill Maher

Clinton left the White House with all the class of an XFL halftime show.

Quotes by Bill Maher

For Bobby and I to sing R&B and sound black was probably the stupidest thing we could do. White radio stations wouldn't play us because they thought we were black. Black stations wouldn't play us because they thought we were...

Quotes by Bill Medley

As N.Y.C. Public Advocate, I released a report that showed that stop-and-frisks of African Americans in 2012 were barely half as likely to yield a weapon as those of white New Yorkers - and a third less likely to yield...

Quotes by Bill de Blasio

The Obama administration is fighting to block access to names of visitors to the White House, taking up the Bush administration argument that a president doesn't have to reveal who comes calling to influence policy decisions.

Quotes by Bill Dedman

Groups that advocate open government have argued that it's vital to know the names of White House visitors, who may have an outsized influence on policy matters.

Quotes by Bill Dedman

Subprime lending is growing faster in black areas than in white areas.

Quotes by Bill Dedman

Cincinnati attracted its first permanent white settlers by flatboat in 1788. It took its name from the Society of Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary officers. That name came from Cincinnatus, the Roman farmer and general.

Quotes by Bill Dedman

Reggie Campbell and Kathleen Goldsmith are participants in an American success story, the unprecedented boom of home-buying by African-Americans in the 1990s. Only he is black and she is white. When he moved into the neighborhood, she moved out.

Quotes by Bill Dedman

Appropriation is a fact of life; no point in complaining about it. But if that's the way the game's being played, let's do it on both sides. I don't want some white guy making 'A Rage in Harlem III' if...

Quotes by Bill Duke

On the way from church one day when my sister and I were 7 or 8, I was beaten by some white bikers.

Quotes by Bill Duke

I don't want to exclusively direct white films, or black films. I want to have a choice.

Quotes by Bill Duke

I don't care who the president is - it ain't just all about who's black or who's white or who's Republican or Democrat, it's about who is for the betterment of people, period.

Quotes by Big Boi

There was no audience for my books. The Indians didn't regard me as an Indian and North Americans couldn't conceive of me of a North American writer, not being white and brought up on wheat germ. My fiction got lost.

Quotes by Bharati Mukherjee

When I was in New York for 'White's Lies,' I saw 'American Idiot' and 'Hair.' I loved both of those.

Quotes by Betty Buckley

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.