--- title: "5 Working class Quotes By Michael Yates" description: "5 Working class quotes by Michael Yates. Plus more from Michael Yates and more Working class sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/michael-yates-21574_barges_i-am-sure-that-the-experience-of-growing_616288.jpg" --- > [I am sure that the experience of growing up in the heart of the working class and learning from my parents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/i-am-sure-that-the-experience-of-growing-up-in-the-heart-of-the/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/michael-yates-21574_barges_i-am-sure-that-the-experience-of-growing_616288.jpg) > [The Vietnam War was so obviously evil and bore down most heavily upon working class youth that it made me think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/the-vietnam-war-was-so-obviously-evil-and-bore-down-most-heavily-upon/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a21/michael-yates-21574_america_the-vietnam-war-was-so-obviously-evil-an_653479.jpg) > [Of course we can talk about the radical potential of youth. But in the U.S. it is still the case that most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/of-course-we-can-talk-about-the-radical-potential-of-youth-but-in-the/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/michael-yates-21574_cases_of-course-we-can-talk-about-the-radical_819870.jpg) > [The main dividing line is still race. This is the issue that must be focused upon in all working class organizations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/the-main-dividing-line-is-still-race-this-is-the-issue-that-must-be/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/michael-yates-21574_class_the-main-dividing-line-is-still-race-thi_1143612.jpg) > [Without an understanding of the issue of race and a willingness to confront it head on, the working class will not build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/without-an-understanding-of-the-issue-of-race-and-a-willingness-to/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6f/michael-yates-21574_class_without-an-understanding-of-the-issue-of_1385842.jpg) ## Other authors on Working class - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-karl-marx-55237.jpg) Karl Marx 15 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/karl-marx/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-bernie-sanders-17420.jpg) Bernie Sanders 15 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/bernie-sanders/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-noam-chomsky-71799.jpg) Noam Chomsky 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/noam-chomsky/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-j-d-vance-3503.jpg) J.D. Vance 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/j-d-vance/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-george-orwell-37887.jpg) George Orwell 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/george-orwell/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-j-d-vance-2-3852.jpg) J. D. Vance 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/j-d-vance-2/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-bill-ayers-17832.jpg) Bill Ayers 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/bill-ayers/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-vladimir-lenin-94029.jpg) Vladimir Lenin 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/vladimir-lenin/) - [Richard Ojeda 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/richard-ojeda/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-nina-turner-3107.jpg) Nina Turner 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/nina-turner/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-lennon-51796.jpg) John Lennon 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/john-lennon/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-haruki-murakami-40784.jpg) Haruki Murakami 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Michael Yates > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [If you do keep the faith and continue to be radical, very bad things can and do happen to you. At the very least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/if-you-do-keep-the-faith-and-continue-to-be-radical-very-bad-things/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Many activists don't want to hear about some grand narrative, one that could unify all of our struggles. So the major issue that needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/many-activists-don-t-want-to-hear-about-some-grand-narrative-one-that/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [What needs to be grasped is that the system itself is the cause of all of the misery in the world. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/what-needs-to-be-grasped-is-that-the-system-itself-is-the-cause-of/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [I still believe that workers must be the basic force which must organize and eventually transform society (along with peasants in poor countries). This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/i-still-believe-that-workers-must-be-the-basic-force-which-must/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [We must not forget either that some of the system's resilience is due to its ability to coopt people with money and prestige. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/we-must-not-forget-either-that-some-of-the-system-s-resilience-is-due/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Capitalism is, in Mao's language, the main contradiction in the world today and so our efforts have to be focused on ending this system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/capitalism-is-in-mao-s-language-the-main-contradiction-in-the-world/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [I am sure that the experience of growing up in the heart of the working class and learning from my parents, and especially from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/i-am-sure-that-the-experience-of-growing-up-in-the-heart-of-the/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [We are all, after all, just human beings, and most of us have a lot in common.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/we-are-all-after-all-just-human-beings-and-most-of-us-have-a-lot-in/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Young people are more likely to be idealistic and think that radical change is both necessary and possible. They may not yet be stuck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/young-people-are-more-likely-to-be-idealistic-and-think-that-radical/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [National chauvinism is a very tough nut to crack, since a vast propaganda network is in place to keep the workers whipped up into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/national-chauvinism-is-a-very-tough-nut-to-crack-since-a-vast/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [The Vietnam War was so obviously evil and bore down most heavily upon working class youth that it made me think about things more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/the-vietnam-war-was-so-obviously-evil-and-bore-down-most-heavily-upon/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [You can't take the view of some of the sectarian parties that hard issues can't be confronted when dealing with workers. If you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/you-can-t-take-the-view-of-some-of-the-sectarian-parties-that-hard/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Of course we can talk about the radical potential of youth. But in the U.S. it is still the case that most youth are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/of-course-we-can-talk-about-the-radical-potential-of-youth-but-in-the/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [The main dividing line is still race. This is the issue that must be focused upon in all working class organizations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/the-main-dividing-line-is-still-race-this-is-the-issue-that-must-be/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/michael-yates/#itemlist", "name": "5 Working class Quotes By Michael Yates", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am sure that the experience of growing up in the heart of the working class and learning from my parents, and especially from my grandmother (who also worked on a barge boat as a cook and a servant for rich folks in Manhattan, Newport, Grosse Point, and Sewickley, all havens of the very rich), that life was not especially fair and always full of bad possibilities, helped shape my future take on life. 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