---
title: "4 Fascinating Quotes By Henry Louis Gates"
description: "4 Fascinating quotes by Henry Louis Gates. Plus more from Henry Louis Gates and more Fascinating sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/henry-louis-gates-2372_ancestor_if-you-share-a-common-ancestor-with-some_1953840.jpg"
---

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/if-you-share-a-common-ancestor-with-somebody-you-re-related-to-them-2/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/henry-louis-gates-2372_ancestor_if-you-share-a-common-ancestor-with-some_1953840.jpg)

> [Arnold Rampersad's stunningly revealing biography has, at long last, unveiled-in magisterial prose-the very complex and vulnerable man behind Ralph Ellison's own masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/arnold-rampersad-s-stunningly-revealing-biography-has-at-long-last/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/henry-louis-gates-2372_behinds_arnold-rampersad-s-stunningly-revealing_2135494.jpg)

> [It's fascinating how life works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/it-s-fascinating-how-life-works/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/henry-louis-gates-2372_fascinating_it-s-fascinating-how-life-works-2367414_2367414.jpg)

> [Color categories are on steroids in Latin America. I find that fascinating. It's very difficult for Americans, particularly African-Americans to understand or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/color-categories-are-on-steroids-in-latin-america-i-find-that/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/henry-louis-gates-2372_african-american_color-categories-are-on-steroids-in-lati_2608281.jpg)

## Other authors on Fascinating

## More by Henry Louis Gates

> [In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-ethiopia-the-black-people-became-christians-1700-years-ago/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [I don't think the riots derailed the civil rights movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-don-t-think-the-riots-derailed-the-civil-rights-movement/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/politicians-will-not-put-forth-programs-aimed-at-the-problems-of-poor/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [I'm a tech geek. Whenever I read about something new, I think to myself, How can I take this and make it black?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-m-a-tech-geek-whenever-i-read-about-something-new-i-think-to-myself/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-think-that-the-implication-of-king-s-assassination-has-not-been/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-someone-who-tried-to-bring-the-story-of/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-1957-when-i-was-in-second-grade-black-children-integrated-central/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [Diversity doesn't mean black and white only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/diversity-doesn-t-mean-black-and-white-only/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified-with-what-it-is-to-be/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [My grandfather was coloured, my father was Negro, and I am Black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/my-grandfather-was-coloured-my-father-was-negro-and-i-am-black/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/wherever-you-go-in-the-history-of-america-there-have-been-black/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-act-of-writing-for-the-slave-constituted-the-act-of-creating-a/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. I wanted to be like Alex Haley, and I wanted to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/you-can-say-i-had-a-severe-case-of-roots-envy-i-wanted-to-be-like/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

> [In America one drop of black ancestry makes you black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-america-one-drop-of-black-ancestry-makes-you-black/)

[Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/)

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