---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Racism exists, but what I want to do is…"
description: "\"Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.\" — Charles Barkley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png"
---

#  Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.

![“Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.” quote by Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png)

> “Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Racism is real, but the speaker wants to initiate conversation about it.

**In simple terms:** Address racism through dialogue.

Key Takeaway

Start open discussions.

Themes

racism dialogue social justice communication

Mood

hopeful serious

Type

activist educational

When to use this quote

- community meetings
- workshops
- media campaigns

Key Concepts

sociology conflict resolution education

Questions to Reflect On

- How can dialogue be constructive?
- Who should lead these conversations?

A Different Perspective

Dialogue may not change entrenched views.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exists/) [Exists Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exists-want-2071871/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-exists-814579/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Start Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-dialogue-3077975/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-start/)

## Related quotes

> [We have been making constant efforts, all the time, to start dialogue with the SLORC, but you know it takes two. We don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/we-have-been-making-constant-efforts-all-the-time-to-start-dialogue/)

[Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/)

> [I just think it's interesting to start a dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/i-just-think-it-s-interesting-to-start-a-dialogue/)

[Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/)

> [You don't really think The Terminator exists, but you want him to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-winters/you-don-t-really-think-the-terminator-exists-but-you-want-him-to-exist/)

[Dean Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-winters/)

> [I just want to dream and pretend nothing exists. I want to live in a land of my own, and see the strange mysteries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-want-to-dream-and-pretend-nothing-exists-i-want-to-live-in-a/)

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

> [It's a shame, racism still exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/it-s-a-shame-racism-still-exists/)

[Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/)

> [No matter how far you think you have come, racism exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-anne-pinnock/no-matter-how-far-you-think-you-have-come-racism-exists/)

[Leigh-Anne Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-anne-pinnock/)

> [Racism always exists cheek by jowl with, inside, and alongside culture and class. As a rule, it is inseparable from them. That is why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/racism-always-exists-cheek-by-jowl-with-inside-and-alongside-culture/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

> [The act of collaboration must start with dialogue. You cannot build relationships without having an understanding of your potential partners, and you cannot achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-yankelovich/the-act-of-collaboration-must-start-with-dialogue-you-cannot-build/)

[Daniel Yankelovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-yankelovich/)

> [If comedy can be both - silly and fun but also say something and start a dialogue - that's the most you can ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/if-comedy-can-be-both-silly-and-fun-but-also-say-something-and-start/)

[Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/)

> [Artists can help re-imagine a conflict and start a dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-gunesekera/artists-can-help-re-imagine-a-conflict-and-start-a-dialogue/)

[Romesh Gunesekera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-gunesekera/)

> [I became a filmmaker because I wanted to deal with issues that intrigued me, that I thought were pertinent, that would start dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/i-became-a-filmmaker-because-i-wanted-to-deal-with-issues-that/)

[Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/)

> [Africans who immigrate to America know how little racism exists there. They suspect it before emigrating from Africa, and they know it after arriving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/africans-who-immigrate-to-america-know-how-little-racism-exists-there/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Wherever black people are in America, criminalization exists. Wherever there is a white-dominant space, deep racism exists as well - no matter how progressive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/wherever-black-people-are-in-america-criminalization-exists-wherever/)

[Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/)

> [In the Trump era, it's way more obvious extreme racism exists. But there are still a lot of people who think, 'We don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/in-the-trump-era-it-s-way-more-obvious-extreme-racism-exists-but/)

[Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/)

> [I think that there's more jealousy in sports than racism, really. I think racism exists in the works, but when I faced racism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-k-subban/i-think-that-there-s-more-jealousy-in-sports-than-racism-really-i/)

[P.K. Subban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-k-subban/)

## More by Charles Barkley

> [What bothers me the most are the Republicans and the Democrats: they act like little kids. They are lying to real people out here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/what-bothers-me-the-most-are-the-republicans-and-the-democrats-they/)

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

> [I think people got more common sense than people give 'em credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-think-people-got-more-common-sense-than-people-give-em-credit-for/)

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

> [I played against him (Wilkins) in college. Getting nominated with him, that's pretty cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-played-against-him-wilkins-in-college-getting-nominated-with-him/)

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

> [Everybody in the world has an ego. The only difference between us is we have a reason to have an ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/everybody-in-the-world-has-an-ego-the-only-difference-between-us-is/)

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

> [There's no medical term for what I've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/there-s-no-medical-term-for-what-i-ve-got/)

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

> [One of the reasons I don't trust the media is you can't have a double standard for guys you like and dislike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/one-of-the-reasons-i-don-t-trust-the-media-is-you-can-t-have-a-double/)

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

> [I'm no role model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-m-no-role-model/)

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

> [I just wish all these young black kids would realize how significant it is to stop acting a fool out there, killing each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-just-wish-all-these-young-black-kids-would-realize-how-significant/)

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

> [I wish the American public wasn't so stupid if they realized that half the people on television make a living just to insult the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-wish-the-american-public-wasn-t-so-stupid-if-they-realized-that/)

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

> [If a guy drew a charge on me, I tried to kick him in the balls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/if-a-guy-drew-a-charge-on-me-i-tried-to-kick-him-in-the-balls/)

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

> [Golf is fun - until you hit somebody in the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/golf-is-fun-until-you-hit-somebody-in-the-head/)

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

> [If you get a chance to play with great players, that's half the battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/if-you-get-a-chance-to-play-with-great-players-that-s-half-the-battle/)

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

> [Everything gets blamed on the Clintons, every single thing in this world. I think Bill Clinton shot JFK, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/everything-gets-blamed-on-the-clintons-every-single-thing-in-this/)

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

> [I'm not a role model... Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-m-not-a-role-model-just-because-i-dunk-a-basketball-doesn-t-mean-i/)

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

> [We, as black people, we have a lot of crooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/we-as-black-people-we-have-a-lot-of-crooks/)

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

[Explore all 263 Charles Barkley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [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/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Barkley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-start-a-dialogue/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-start-a-dialogue/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/charles-barkley-1266_communication_racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-s_2752783.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Racism exists, but what I want to do is start a dialogue.” — Charles Barkley",
                "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": "Charles Barkley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Racism exists, but what I want...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-start-a-dialogue/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/racism-exists-but-what-i-want-to-do-is-start-a-dialogue/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
