"People who own property feel a sense of ownership in their future and their society. They study, save, work, strive and vote. And people trapped in a culture of tenancy do not."
-Henry Louis Gates
workView Quote
"But you see, our society is still trapped in this binary, black/white logic and that has had some very positive implications for our generation. It's had some very negative ones as well and one of the negative ones is that it creates enormous identity problems for people who have one black ancestor and all white ancestors for example.“
-Henry Louis Gates
posted in society
Other Quotes
Discover more inspiring quotes from our collection
"Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, were just as splendid and glorious as any on the face of the earth?"
-Henry Louis Gates
warView Quote
"The sad truth is that without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to the New World would have been impossible, at least on the scale it occurred."
-Henry Louis Gates
truthView Quote
"The sad truth is that the civil rights movement cannot be reborn until we identify the causes of black suffering, some of them self-inflicted. Why can't black leaders organize rallies around responsible sexuality, birth within marriage, parents reading to their children and students staying in school and doing homework?"
-Henry Louis Gates
truthView Quote
"The thing about black history is that the truth is so much more complex than anything you could make up."
-Henry Louis Gates
truthView Quote
"The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment."
-Henry Louis Gates
successView Quote
Same Category
More quotes in this category
"The whole system of society tells you what to do."
-Barry White
societyView Quote
"I want a society that provides decent jobs for those who can work and decent security for those can't."
-Frances O'Grady
societyView Quote
"That a society controls, to a greater or lesser extent, the behavior of its members is a universal but the methods, the particulars of that control, vary from one culture to another."
-Kenneth L. Pike
societyView Quote
"Europeans say they are proud of their social fabric, of strong rights for workers and the weak in society."
-David Korten
societyView Quote
"RFK was a compelling figure because he was willing to challenge his audiences, and in turn connect with them in a unique way. Kennedy showed that our values define us and can inspire others to believe in the possibility of change and a better society."
-Frances O'Grady
societyView Quote
"I think human society for tens of thousands of years has sent young men out in small groups to do things that are necessary but very dangerous. And they've always gotten killed doing it. And they've always turned it into a matter of honor and a way of gaining acceptance back into society if they survived."
-Sebastian Junger
societyView Quote