---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is black and white, and there is…"
description: "\"Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.\" — Banksy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg"
---

#  Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and…

![“Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.” quote by Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg)

> “Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.”

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

## About This Quote

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

Moral judgments are rarely absolute; purity and justice are complex, intertwined concepts.

**In simple terms:** Nothing is purely good or bad, and purity and justice don’t exist.

Key Takeaway

Accept moral complexity and avoid black‑and‑white thinking.

Themes

morality complexity justice purity

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- legal decisions
- personal dilemmas
- media narratives
- political debates

Key Concepts

ethical relativism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate decisions without clear right or wrong?
- When is it necessary to label something as pure?

A Different Perspective

Some may argue that certain actions are unequivocally just or unjust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Purity Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity-thing-3054691/) [Thing Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-justice-1165376/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-purity-3054690/)

## Related quotes

> [For me, it's a purity thing about the joke itself. It's a test of a joke whether or not you do it completely clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/for-me-it-s-a-purity-thing-about-the-joke-itself-it-s-a-test-of-a/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [The Law is a grim, unsmiling thing. Not Justice, though. Justice is witty and whimsical and kind and caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/the-law-is-a-grim-unsmiling-thing-not-justice-though-justice-is-witty/)

[Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/)

> [There is no such thing as justice, all the best that we can hope for is revenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/there-is-no-such-thing-as-justice-all-the-best-that-we-can-hope-for/)

[Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/)

> [“The last thing the justice system is, is just.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-shepherd/the-last-thing-the-justice-system-is-is-just/)

[Megan Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-shepherd/)

> [There is no such thing as justice - in or out of court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/there-is-no-such-thing-as-justice-in-or-out-of-court/)

[Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/)

> [There is no such thing as justice in the abstract; it is merely a compact between men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/there-is-no-such-thing-as-justice-in-the-abstract-it-is-merely-a/)

[Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/)

> [But the voice goes on, calling us, beckoning us, luring us to think that there might be such a thing as justice, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-the-voice-goes-on-calling-us-beckoning-us-luring-us-to-think-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There's no such thing as justice in America. It's all a fairy tale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/there-s-no-such-thing-as-justice-in-america-it-s-all-a-fairy-tale/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [Black and white photography is truly quite a 'departure from reality', and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/black-and-white-photography-is-truly-quite-a-departure-from-reality/)

[Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/)

> [There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-nothing-gray-about-whether-a-follower-of-christ-should-see/)

[Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/)

> [Which is probably the reason why I work exclusively in black and white... to highlight that contrast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/which-is-probably-the-reason-why-i-work-exclusively-in-black-and/)

[Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/)

> [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/)

[Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/)

> [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/)

[Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/)

> [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

## More by Banksy

> [A wall is a very big weapon. It's one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/a-wall-is-a-very-big-weapon-it-s-one-of-the-nastiest-things-you-can/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Some people criticize me for using sources that are a bit low brow (this quote is from 'Gladiator') but you know what? 'I'm just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/some-people-criticize-me-for-using-sources-that-are-a-bit-low-brow/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [There's nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/there-s-nothing-more-dangerous-than-someone-who-wants-to-make-the/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [The grumpier you are, the more assholes you meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/the-grumpier-you-are-the-more-assholes-you-meet/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Today's art has been cancelled due to police activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/today-s-art-has-been-cancelled-due-to-police-activity/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/graffiti-ultimately-wins-out-over-proper-art-because-it-becomes-part/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/the-bad-artists-imitate-the-great-artists-steal/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Graffiti's always been a temporary art form. You make your mark and then they scrub it off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/graffiti-s-always-been-a-temporary-art-form-you-make-your-mark-and/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [I just wanna make the world a better-looking place. If you don't like it, you can paint over it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/i-just-wanna-make-the-world-a-better-looking-place-if-you-don-t-like/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [When he time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don't make any fuss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/when-he-time-comes-to-leave-just-walk-away-quietly-and-don-t-make-any/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [If at first you don't succeed, Call an airstrike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-call-an-airstrike/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Painting something that defies the law of the land is good. Painting something that defies the law of the land and the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/painting-something-that-defies-the-law-of-the-land-is-good-painting/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [“Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/think-outside-the-box-collapse-the-box-and-take-a-fucking-sharp-knife/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/we-can-t-do-anything-to-change-the-world-until-capitalism-crumbles-in/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [If you want to say something and have people listen then you have to wear a mask. If you want to be honest then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/if-you-want-to-say-something-and-have-people-listen-then-you-have-to/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

[Explore all 140 Banksy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Banksy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is-no-purity-and-there-is-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is-no-purity-and-there-is-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/banksy-3076_black_nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is_1935584.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.” — Banksy",
                "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": "Banksy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothing is black and white, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is-no-purity-and-there-is-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/nothing-is-black-and-white-and-there-is-no-purity-and-there-is-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
