---
title: "19 White Quotes By Ta-Nehisi Coates"
description: "19 White quotes by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Plus more from Ta-Nehisi Coates and more White sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/ta-nehisi-coates-733_history_serious-history-was-the-west-and-the-wes_324590.png"
---

> [“Serious history was the West, and the West was white.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/serious-history-was-the-west-and-the-west-was-white/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/ta-nehisi-coates-733_history_serious-history-was-the-west-and-the-wes_324590.png)

> [Abraham Lincoln was killed by the forces of white supremacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/abraham-lincoln-was-killed-by-the-forces-of-white-supremacy/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/ta-nehisi-coates-733_abraham_abraham-lincoln-was-killed-by-the-forces_2303916.png)

> [I wouldn't argue that Mitt Romney is a white supremacist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-wouldn-t-argue-that-mitt-romney-is-a-white-supremacist/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/ta-nehisi-coates-733_argue_i-wouldn-t-argue-that-mitt-romney-is-a-w_3174853.png)

> [“Everyone of any import, from Jesus to George Washington, was white.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/everyone-of-any-import-from-jesus-to-george-washington-was-white/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/ta-nehisi-coates-733_george-w_everyone-of-any-import-from-jesus-to-geo_2013723.png)

> [I had no expectations of white people at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-had-no-expectations-of-white-people-at-all/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/ta-nehisi-coates-733_expectations_i-had-no-expectations-of-white-people-at_1287555.png)

> ['White America' is a syndicate arrayed to protect its exclusive power to dominate and control our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/white-america-is-a-syndicate-arrayed-to-protect-its-exclusive-power/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_white-america-is-a-syndicate-arrayed-to_2038752.png)

> [White racial grievance enjoys automatic credibility, and even when disproven, it is never disqualifying of its bearers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/white-racial-grievance-enjoys-automatic-credibility-and-even-when/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/ta-nehisi-coates-733_credibility_white-racial-grievance-enjoys-automatic_2698075.png)

> [What it is is that Barack Obama was raised by a white mother and two white grandparents who, A, told him he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-it-is-is-that-barack-obama-was-raised-by-a-white-mother-and-two/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/110/ta-nehisi-coates-733_barack_what-it-is-is-that-barack-obama-was-rais_2138371.jpg)

> [ I think President \[Barack\] Obama deeply underestimated the force of white supremacy in American life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-president-barack-obama-deeply-underestimated-the-force-of/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/ta-nehisi-coates-733_american-life_i-think-president-barack-obama-deeply-un_2722029.png)

> [It is often said that Trump has no real ideology, which is not true - his ideology is white supremacy, in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/it-is-often-said-that-trump-has-no-real-ideology-which-is-not-true/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/ta-nehisi-coates-733_ideology_it-is-often-said-that-trump-has-no-real_2098355.png)

> [The progressive approach to policy which directly addresses the effects of white supremacy is simple - talk about class and hope no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-progressive-approach-to-policy-which-directly-addresses-the/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3e/ta-nehisi-coates-733_addresses_the-progressive-approach-to-policy-which_2860489.png)

> [ \[Grew up in Hawaii\] that gave \[Barack Obama\] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/grew-up-in-hawaii-that-gave-barack-obama-a-kind-of-optimism-an/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/ta-nehisi-coates-733_ability_grew-up-in-hawaii-that-gave-barack-obama_75931.png)

> [You can't make a direct comparison between middle-class African Americans and middle-class white Americans, affluent African Americans and affluent white Americans. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/you-can-t-make-a-direct-comparison-between-middle-class-african/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/ta-nehisi-coates-733_affluent_you-can-t-make-a-direct-comparison-betwe_2888857.png)

> [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/ta-nehisi-coates-733_achievement_winning-the-white-house-was-an-achieveme_47651.png)

> [To prevent enabling oppression, we demand that black people be twice as good. To prevent verifying stereotypes, we pledge to never eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/to-prevent-enabling-oppression-we-demand-that-black-people-be-twice/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ta-nehisi-coates-733_black_to-prevent-enabling-oppression-we-demand_2570542.png)

> [ I think the president \[Barack Obama\] adopted some of that same language, but took it into the White House. And I think,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-the-president-barack-obama-adopted-some-of-that-same-language/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ed/ta-nehisi-coates-733_adopted_i-think-the-president-barack-obama-adopt_490086.png)

> [I am not asking you as a white person to see yourself as an enslaver. I'm asking you as an American to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-am-not-asking-you-as-a-white-person-to-see-yourself-as-an-enslaver/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/ta-nehisi-coates-733_asking_i-am-not-asking-you-as-a-white-person-to_2851035.png)

> [I think there's a sort of, you know, very thin way of reading this that says, well, Barack Obama is biracial thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-there-s-a-sort-of-you-know-very-thin-way-of-reading-this-that/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/ta-nehisi-coates-733_america_i-think-there-s-a-sort-of-you-know-very_2665044.png)

> [I want to be really, really clear about this. It doesn't mean that everyone or even the majority of people who voted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-want-to-be-really-really-clear-about-this-it-doesn-t-mean-that/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2e/ta-nehisi-coates-733_campaigns_i-want-to-be-really-really-clear-about-t_2183984.png)

## Other authors on White

## More by Ta-Nehisi Coates

> [“To Trump whiteness is neither notional nor symbolic but is the very core of his power. In this, Trump is not singular. But whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/to-trump-whiteness-is-neither-notional-nor-symbolic-but-is-the-very/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“The focus on one sector of Trump voters—the white working class—is puzzling, given the breadth of his white coalition. Indeed, there is a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-focus-on-one-sector-of-trump-voters-the-white-working-class-is/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-greatest-reward-of-this-constant-interrogation-confrontation-with/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [I think 'Dear White People,' the show, is a tremendous artistic achievement. It's always hinting that there is something beyond the pleading and wokeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-dear-white-people-the-show-is-a-tremendous-artistic/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [What sets black people apart is not some deficit in personal responsibility. It's the weight on our shoulders. That is what's actually different. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-sets-black-people-apart-is-not-some-deficit-in-personal/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [Like a lot of people, I'm very, very concerned about Senator Clinton's record. I'm very, very concerned about where her positions were in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/like-a-lot-of-people-i-m-very-very-concerned-about-senator-clinton-s/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“I drove away, as always, thinking of you. I do not believe that we can stop them, Samori, because they must ultimately stop themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-drove-away-as-always-thinking-of-you-i-do-not-believe-that-we-can/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [The mainstream sort of presentation of the civil rights movement was not something that I directly inherited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-mainstream-sort-of-presentation-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [ \[Grew up in Hawaii\] that gave \[Barack Obama\] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/grew-up-in-hawaii-that-gave-barack-obama-a-kind-of-optimism-an/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“I sensed the schools were hiding something, drugging us with false morality so that we would not see, so that we did not ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-sensed-the-schools-were-hiding-something-drugging-us-with-false/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [You don't make a case for reparations thinking, 'Oh yeah, people are gonna love this.' I didn't see that coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/you-don-t-make-a-case-for-reparations-thinking-oh-yeah-people-are/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“And I know that there are black boys and black girls out there lost in a Bermuda triangle of the mind or stranded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/and-i-know-that-there-are-black-boys-and-black-girls-out-there-lost/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

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                        "text": "White racial grievance enjoys automatic credibility, and even when disproven, it is never disqualifying of its bearers.",
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                        "text": "What it is is that Barack Obama was raised by a white mother and two white grandparents who, A, told him he was black and that there was nothing wrong with being black.",
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                        "text": "[Grew up in Hawaii] that gave [Barack Obama] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to trust, you know, in his fellow, you know, white countrymen in a way that I, for instance, you know, and the vast majority of black people I know never really could.",
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                        "text": "You can't make a direct comparison between middle-class African Americans and middle-class white Americans, affluent African Americans and affluent white Americans. The amount of wealth tends to be less.",
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                        "text": "[Winning the White House was an achievement], but as an African-American, [Barack Obama], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The symbolism was in - and this sounds really, really small, but it's actually big for African-Americans - the symbolism was not in being an embarrassment, but to being a figure that folks were actually proud of.",
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                        "text": "To prevent enabling oppression, we demand that black people be twice as good. To prevent verifying stereotypes, we pledge to never eat a slice a watermelon in front of white people.",
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                        "text": "I think the president [Barack Obama] adopted some of that same language, but took it into the White House. And I think, like, there's a crucial difference between being, you know, Joe Schmo in the neighborhood and being the head, you know, of the government that, you know, in many ways is largely responsible for those conditions in the first place.",
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                        "text": "I am not asking you as a white person to see yourself as an enslaver. I'm asking you as an American to see all of the freedoms that you enjoy and see how they are rooted in things that the country you belong to condoned or actively participated in the past.",
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}
```