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Henry Louis Gates Quotes

I believe in the law. I think we have a great system of justice. But I do think that system of justice has been corrupted by racism and classism. I think it’s difficult for ‘poor people’ - poor white people, brown people - to be treated fairly before the law in the same way that upper-class people are Picture Quote #1

In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All of us watched it. I don’t mean Mama and Daddy and Rocky. I mean all the colored people in America watched it, together, with one set of eyes Picture Quote #1

Well, certainly one of the ironies of the success of affirmative action is that the middle class within the black community no longer lives within ‘black community’ by and large Picture Quote #1

We can revolutionize the attitude of inner city brown and black kids to learning. We need a civil rights movement within the African-American community Picture Quote #1

My father and I made genetics history. We were the first African-Americans and the first father and son anywhere to have their genomes sequenced Picture Quote #1

If you share a common ancestor with somebody, you’re related to them. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to invite them to the family reunion, but it means that you share DNA. I think it’s fascinating Picture Quote #1

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If you don’t tell your stories, other people will tell their story about you. It’s important that we nurture and protect these memories. Things change. Existence means change Picture Quote #1

Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried Picture Quote #1

One principle I’ve been fighting for that doesn’t endear me to a lot of people is that black people can be just as complicated and screwed up as white people. Our motives can be just as base and violent. Suffering does not necessarily ennoble you Picture Quote #1

The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge Picture Quote #1

The genius is making a way out of no way Picture Quote #1

America is the greatest nation ever founded. The ideals are the greatest ever espoused in human history, and we just need the country to live up to them. But what I worry about are the 1 million black men in the prison system Picture Quote #1

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My brother and I had a really privileged relationship with my parents... They treated us like adults Picture Quote #1

A more humane form of capitalism is about the best I think we can get. Which might sound very reformist or conservative, but that’s basically where I am Picture Quote #1

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 Picture Quote #1

The thing about black history is that the truth is so much more complex than anything you could make up Picture Quote #1

I want to be black, to know black, to luxuriate in whatever I might be calling blackness at any particular time, but to do so in order to come out on the other side, to experience a humanity that is neither colorless nor reducible to color Picture Quote #1

People are afraid, and when people are afraid, when their pie is shrinking, they look for somebody to hate. They look for somebody to blame. And a real leader speaks to anxiety and to fear and allays those fears, assuages anxiety Picture Quote #1

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I want to be a figure for prison reform. I think that the criminal justice system is rotten Picture Quote #1

Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low Picture Quote #1

My father lived to be 97 and played bridge every day up to the end, so I’ve got a 50 percent chance of living a long life like him Picture Quote #1

What’s fascinated me from the time I was a little kid was the way we construct our lives through stories Picture Quote #1

All historians generalize from particulars. And often, if you look at a historian’s footnotes, the number of examples of specific cases is very, very small Picture Quote #1

Learning to sing one’s own songs, to trust the particular cadences of own’s voices, is also the goal of any writer Picture Quote #1

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You have to have a canon so the next generation can come along and explode it Picture Quote #1

The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author but also the self, as it were, of the race Picture Quote #1

It is the black poet who bridges the gap in tradition, who modifies tradition when experience demands it, who translates experience into meaning and meaning into belief Picture Quote #1

Insofar as we, critics of the black tradition, master our craft, we serve both to preserve our own traditions and to shape their direction. All great writers demand great critics Picture Quote #1

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Text Quotes

I believe in the law. I think we have a great system of justice. But I do think that system of justice has been corrupted by racism and classism. I think it’s difficult for ‘poor people’ - poor white people, brown people - to be treated fairly before the law in the same way that upper-class people are (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All of us watched it. I don’t mean Mama and Daddy and Rocky. I mean all the colored people in America watched it, together, with one set of eyes (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) Well, certainly one of the ironies of the success of affirmative action is that the middle class within the black community no longer lives within ‘black community’ by and large (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) We can revolutionize the attitude of inner city brown and black kids to learning. We need a civil rights movement within the African-American community (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) My father and I made genetics history. We were the first African-Americans and the first father and son anywhere to have their genomes sequenced (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) If you share a common ancestor with somebody, you’re related to them. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to invite them to the family reunion, but it means that you share DNA. I think it’s fascinating (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) If you don’t tell your stories, other people will tell their story about you. It’s important that we nurture and protect these memories. Things change. Existence means change (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) One principle I’ve been fighting for that doesn’t endear me to a lot of people is that black people can be just as complicated and screwed up as white people. Our motives can be just as base and violent. Suffering does not necessarily ennoble you (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) The genius is making a way out of no way (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) America is the greatest nation ever founded. The ideals are the greatest ever espoused in human history, and we just need the country to live up to them. But what I worry about are the 1 million black men in the prison system (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) My brother and I had a really privileged relationship with my parents... They treated us like adults (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) A more humane form of capitalism is about the best I think we can get. Which might sound very reformist or conservative, but that’s basically where I am (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) 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 Quotes) The thing about black history is that the truth is so much more complex than anything you could make up (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) I want to be black, to know black, to luxuriate in whatever I might be calling blackness at any particular time, but to do so in order to come out on the other side, to experience a humanity that is neither colorless nor reducible to color (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) People are afraid, and when people are afraid, when their pie is shrinking, they look for somebody to hate. They look for somebody to blame. And a real leader speaks to anxiety and to fear and allays those fears, assuages anxiety (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) I want to be a figure for prison reform. I think that the criminal justice system is rotten (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) My father lived to be 97 and played bridge every day up to the end, so I’ve got a 50 percent chance of living a long life like him (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) What’s fascinated me from the time I was a little kid was the way we construct our lives through stories (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) All historians generalize from particulars. And often, if you look at a historian’s footnotes, the number of examples of specific cases is very, very small (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) Learning to sing one’s own songs, to trust the particular cadences of own’s voices, is also the goal of any writer (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) You have to have a canon so the next generation can come along and explode it (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author but also the self, as it were, of the race (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) It is the black poet who bridges the gap in tradition, who modifies tradition when experience demands it, who translates experience into meaning and meaning into belief (Henry Louis Gates Quotes) Insofar as we, critics of the black tradition, master our craft, we serve both to preserve our own traditions and to shape their direction. All great writers demand great critics (Henry Louis Gates Quotes)

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