---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pittsburgh is a very hard city…"
description: "\"Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.\" — August Wilson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png"
---

#  Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.

![“Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.” quote by August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png)

> “Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.”

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pittsburgh presents harsh challenges for Black residents, reflecting systemic inequality.

**In simple terms:** City is tough for Black people.

Key Takeaway

Address systemic barriers.

Themes

race urban life inequality

Mood

somber urgent

Type

social political

When to use this quote

- housing policy
- community activism
- education reform

Key Concepts

social justice structural racism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can cities become more inclusive?
- What resources help overcome urban hardship?

A Different Perspective

Not all city experiences are the same.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/)

## Related quotes

> [New York is just New York. It's a hard city, it's a hard city to live in. It's a desperate city. It's filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/new-york-is-just-new-york-it-s-a-hard-city-it-s-a-hard-city-to-live/)

[Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/)

> [D.C. is a hard city to grow up in. I couldn't find my footing there. Also, I got a late start academically, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/d-c-is-a-hard-city-to-grow-up-in-i-couldn-t-find-my-footing-there/)

[Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/)

> [“Being here reminded him of how hard the city had been, it's unyielding surfaces, the relentless need for more and more money just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/being-here-reminded-him-of-how-hard-the-city-had-been-it-s-unyielding/)

[Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/)

> [Detroit is a hard city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-dilla/detroit-is-a-hard-city/)

[J Dilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-dilla/)

> [Don't get me wrong - I love London, and still have an apartment there. But it is also a hard city and it wears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-loos/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-london-and-still-have-an-apartment-there-2/)

[Rebecca Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-loos/)

> [I think us, especially as black people, we don't necessarily talk about our feelings enough or talk to someone about our feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-k-r-i-t/i-think-us-especially-as-black-people-we-don-t-necessarily-talk-about/)

[Big K.R.I.T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-k-r-i-t/)

> [We need the cops, especially in the black community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/we-need-the-cops-especially-in-the-black-community/)

[Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/)

> [I love being black in America, and especially being black in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/i-love-being-black-in-america-and-especially-being-black-in-hollywood/)

[Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/)

> [You can tell when people don't like you. Especially being a black man born and raised in the South in America, you can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinton-jackson/you-can-tell-when-people-don-t-like-you-especially-being-a-black-man/)

[Quinton Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinton-jackson/)

> [To be raised as a man of color in America - especially a black man, and particularly a very dark black man - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/to-be-raised-as-a-man-of-color-in-america-especially-a-black-man-and/)

[Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/)

> [I think people look great in black. I love that what stands out is the person, especially. Black just conveys a kind of drama,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-leon-talley/i-think-people-look-great-in-black-i-love-that-what-stands-out-is-the/)

[Andre Leon Talley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-leon-talley/)

> [It's very hard to grow up in the African American church and for music to not be in your veins. It's just part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-franklin/it-s-very-hard-to-grow-up-in-the-african-american-church-and-for/)

[Kirk Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-franklin/)

> [Colorism is not a good thing, especially when you're Black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/colorism-is-not-a-good-thing-especially-when-you-re-black/)

[Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/)

> [Black makes your life so much simpler. Everything matches black, especially black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/black-makes-your-life-so-much-simpler-everything-matches-black/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [Like most people, I have this sort of love-hate relationship with Pittsburgh. This is my home, and at times I miss it and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/like-most-people-i-have-this-sort-of-love-hate-relationship-with/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

## More by August Wilson

> [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I just write stuff down and pile it up, and when I get enough stuff, I spread it out and look at it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-just-write-stuff-down-and-pile-it-up-and-when-i-get-enough-stuff-i/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I don't look at our society today too much. My focus is still in the past, and part of the reason is because what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-look-at-our-society-today-too-much-my-focus-is-still-in-the/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [The director works as an interpretive artist, but he's still an artist, so you also have to give him room to create and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/the-director-works-as-an-interpretive-artist-but-he-s-still-an-artist/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I dropped out of school, but I didn't drop out of life. I would leave the house each morning and go to the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-dropped-out-of-school-but-i-didn-t-drop-out-of-life-i-would-leave/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [When I first started writing plays I couldn't write good dialogue because I didn't respect how black people talked. I thought that in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/when-i-first-started-writing-plays-i-couldn-t-write-good-dialogue/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“Like you? I go out of here every morning...bust my butt...cause I like you? It's my job. It's my responsibility!... Not cause I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/like-you-i-go-out-of-here-every-morning-bust-my-butt-cause-i-like-you/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“-How long you been with the rail road now? -Twenty-seven years. Now, I'll tell you something about the railroad. What I done learned after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/how-long-you-been-with-the-rail-road-now-twenty-seven-years-now-i-ll/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [Scripts were rather scarce in 1968. We did a lot of Amiri Baraka's plays, the agitprop stuff he was writing. It was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/scripts-were-rather-scarce-in-1968-we-did-a-lot-of-amiri-baraka-s/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/all-you-need-in-the-world-is-love-and-laughter-that-s-all-anybody/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I ain't never found no place for me to fit. Seem like all I do is start over. It ain't nothing to find no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-ain-t-never-found-no-place-for-me-to-fit-seem-like-all-i-do-is/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I don't write for a particular audience. I work as an artist, and I think the audience of one, which is the self, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience-i-work-as-an-artist-and-i/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [I dont write particularly to effect social change. I believe writing can do that, but thats not why I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-dont-write-particularly-to-effect-social-change-i-believe-writing/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [“Don't try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/don-t-try-and-go-through-life-worrying-about-if-somebody-like-you-or/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

> [Suffice it to say, I'm not poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/suffice-it-to-say-i-m-not-poor/)

[August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

[Explore all 124 August Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

Browse all 11,655 Black quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "August Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especially-if-you-re-black/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especially-if-you-re-black/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/august-wilson-3646_black_pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especiall_935065.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Pittsburgh is a very hard city, especially if you're black.” — August Wilson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "August Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Pittsburgh is a very hard city,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especially-if-you-re-black/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/pittsburgh-is-a-very-hard-city-especially-if-you-re-black/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
