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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 find that most home cooks don't get vinegars. They're misunderstood, mostly due to the factory-made red wine vinegar that everyone commonly cooks with... that, and the giant gallon of white distilled vinegar that we all use, mostly to clean...

Quotes by Andrew Zimmern

In September 2008 - as Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and AIG, the world's biggest insurance company, accepted a federal bailout - Senator John McCain of Arizona, in what was widely viewed as a political move, suspended his presidential campaign...

Quotes by Andrew Ross Sorkin

SXSW can feel very male, very straight, and very white, and though it's a great festival, when you have a film that's different, it's hard to find your place.

Quotes by Andrew Haigh

Slavery exists. It is black in the South, and white in the North.

Quotes by Andrew Johnson

I usually wake up around 9, and the first thing I do is make myself a cup of tea. I drink a lot of tea - green tea, white tea, and all kinds of herbal teas.

Quotes by Andreja Pejic

I mean, they're threatening - my career is over. You know, everything I've worked so hard. I've worked extremely hard since about 17 years old, you know, as a White House intern on up.

Quotes by Andrea Mackris

'Venus,' which is a Roger Michell film - my first scene was with Peter O'Toole, and I cried. That was basically my part. I came in, cried in a white wig, and then left.

Quotes by Andrea Riseborough

In my real life, I wear a T-shirt, gray or white, and the same pair of jeans. Literally, the same pair of jeans every day.

Quotes by Anderson Cooper

I'd been watching documentaries about early rock where white artists took 'race records' from blues and soul musicians to achieve mass appeal. I wanted to flip that and do an EP covering only white artists.

Quotes by Anderson Paak

I wanted everything. What could you not want when you are brown and Indian-looking in a society in which the white aesthetic is praised as acceptable?

Quotes by Ana Castillo

It must be so nice to be a white male.

Quotes by Ana Navarro

I think the White House is a better place for not having a Steve Bannon in it.

Quotes by Ana Navarro

I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to reduce my commitment to immigration. But can I empathize with the fact that if your town was 95 percent all white and now it's down to 60, that that can scare...

Quotes by Anand Giridharadas

I used to get my hair dyed at a place called Big Hair. It cost $15. They just used straight bleach, so my hair was the color of white lined paper, and my eyebrows looked like they were done with...

Quotes by Amy Poehler

Europe and the first world to which the United States belongs remain mostly white for now, and the third world, although mixed, contains a lot of nonwhite people.

Quotes by Amy Wax

Bourgeois values aren't just for white people. The irony is: Bourgeois values can help minorities get ahead.

Quotes by Amy Wax

Everyone wants to go to countries ruled by white Europeans.

Quotes by Amy Wax

I know for a fact if I were a white English fighter, maybe I would have been a superstar in Britain - and the world.

Quotes by Amir Khan

America is as much a black country as a white one. The lives and destinies of the white American are bound up inextricably with those of the black American.

Quotes by Amiri Baraka

Hemingway's short story 'Hills Like White Elephants' is a classic of its kind. It illustrates Hemingway's 'iceberg theory,' which requires that a story find its effectiveness by hiding more than it reveals.

Quotes by Amitava Kumar

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.