I wanted to separate color from race. Distinguishing color - light, black, in-between - as the marker for race is really an… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Race is the least reliable information you can have about someone. It's real information, but it tells you next to nothing. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
If a Negro got legs he ought to use them. Sit down too long, somebody will figure out a way to tie… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Black people have always been used as a buffer in this country between powers to prevent class war. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
I'm always annoyed about why black people have to bear the brunt of everybody else's contempt. If we are not totally understanding… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Occasionally, as children, we might figure out how to call somebody a name, and they would figure out how to call us.… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Sexist language, racist language, theistic language - all are typical of the policing languages of mastery, and cannot, do not, permit new… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race -- scientifically, anthropologically. Racism is a construct, a… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Here was an ugly little girl asking for beauty…A little black girl who wanted to rise up out of the pit of… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Racism will disappear when it's no longer profitable, and no longer psychologically useful. And when that happens, it'll be gone. But at… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Probably best, he thought. If a Negro got legs he ought to use them. Sit down too long, somebody will figure out… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Unpersecuted, unjailed, unharrassed writers are trouble for the ignorant bully, the sly racist, and the predators feeding off the world's resources. — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
The function, the very serious function of racism, is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
The race thing is sort of a misnomer. It's just the human race, right? That's it. The rest of it, and racism,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Whitepeople believed that whatever the manners, under every dark skin was a jungle. Swift unnavigable waters, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
It's important, therefore, to know who the real enemy is, and to know the function, the very serious function of racism, which… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“After situating herself on a huge flat-sided rock, Baby Suggs bowed her head and prayed silently. The company watched her from the… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
“Those white things have taken all I had or dreamed," she said, "and broke my heartstrings too. There is no bad luck… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
If you take racism away from certain people - I mean, vitriolic racism as well as the sort of social racist -… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
I always looked upon the acts of racist exclusion, or insult, as pitiable, from the other person. I never absorbed that. I… — Toni Morrison Copy Share Image
Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it? — Toni Morrison Copy Share
There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you. — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not… — Toni Morrison Copy Share
“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.” — Toni Morrison Copy Share
