--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one had ever told me that whites were…" description: "\"No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.\" — Charle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png" --- # No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing… ![“No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.” quote by Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png) > “No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.” [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A statement about defying racial expectations in music, asserting personal artistic freedom. **In simple terms:** Defying racial music expectations to sing freely. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic expression despite societal labels. Themes race music authenticity Mood empowering defiant Type cultural musical When to use this quote - music industry - social activism - identity politics Key Concepts cultural norms personal freedom Questions to Reflect On - How does music reflect cultural identity? - What risks arise when challenging artistic norms? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“The spirit of the whites was really devilish; they seemed determined to drive the Indians to the wall, not one had spoken a word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster-jones/the-spirit-of-the-whites-was-really-devilish-they-seemed-determined/) [Daniel Webster Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster-jones/) > [“I broke off from my hummed rendition of "U Can't Touch This.""I'm a seraph," I reminded her happily."I'm supposed to sing constant praises." "Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keeble/i-broke-off-from-my-hummed-rendition-of-u-can-t-touch-this-i-m-a/) [Helen Keeble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keeble/) > [Girls are supposed to sing. It's the guys' thing to play the guitar. Crossing the line is kind of like trying to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/girls-are-supposed-to-sing-it-s-the-guys-thing-to-play-the-guitar/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-do-a-voice-in-an-animated-film-you-don-t-see-the-finished/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [You don’t read or overhear the voice in the poem, you are the voice in the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/you-don-t-read-or-overhear-the-voice-in-the-poem-you-are-the-voice-in/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [“The silkiness of his voice was a torturous caress that I could have endured for the rest of my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-andrea/the-silkiness-of-his-voice-was-a-torturous-caress-that-i-could-have/) Melissa Andrea > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [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/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) ## More by Charley Pride > [There were very few black people in Montana but we never felt out of place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/there-were-very-few-black-people-in-montana-but-we-never-felt-out-of/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [Fans will praise you, scold you, and offer helpful advice. Fans will also defend you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/fans-will-praise-you-scold-you-and-offer-helpful-advice-fans-will/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [A woman went so far as to hire private detectives to contact me to help bring her out of what she called a hypnotic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/a-woman-went-so-far-as-to-hire-private-detectives-to-contact-me-to/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I learned to tune a guitar by ear. That method has served me pretty well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-learned-to-tune-a-guitar-by-ear-that-method-has-served-me-pretty/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [It isn't reasonable to expect that everyone in the world is a country music fan. Not yet, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/it-isn-t-reasonable-to-expect-that-everyone-in-the-world-is-a-country/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I try to keep my feet on the ground. Even though I appreciate the fame and adoration, I remember once I used to pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-try-to-keep-my-feet-on-the-ground-even-though-i-appreciate-the-fame/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [A fan will grab you and hug you and will not let go. When that happens, you wish it could be that way all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/a-fan-will-grab-you-and-hug-you-and-will-not-let-go-when-that-happens/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I've seen people who have been coming to my shows for 25 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-ve-seen-people-who-have-been-coming-to-my-shows-for-25-years/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I've tried to help a lot of young artists get started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-ve-tried-to-help-a-lot-of-young-artists-get-started/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [My brothers and sisters all sang, too, and they all have good voices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/my-brothers-and-sisters-all-sang-too-and-they-all-have-good-voices/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [If Detroit was a watershed concert for me, traveling with Willie Nelson through Texas and Louisiana was a milestone of a different sort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/if-detroit-was-a-watershed-concert-for-me-traveling-with-willie/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I was always a dreamer, in childhood especially. People thought I was a little strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-was-always-a-dreamer-in-childhood-especially-people-thought-i-was-a/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [Redd Foxx was the same gruff old codger you saw on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/redd-foxx-was-the-same-gruff-old-codger-you-saw-on-television/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [In 20 years I had sold more records for RCA than any artist except Elvis Presley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/in-20-years-i-had-sold-more-records-for-rca-than-any-artist-except/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [I might have become a minor celebrity but royalty checks were a long way off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/i-might-have-become-a-minor-celebrity-but-royalty-checks-were-a-long/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) [Explore all 62 Charley Pride quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) ## More Kind quotes > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [One of the reasons that I do a lot of different kinds of pictures is because I learn a lot when I'm doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-do-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-pictures-is/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/every-time-i-finish-a-song-most-of-the-time-it-s-in-my-own-head-like/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You're getting into some kind of shape, cop." Aw, come on, now." Butch grinned. "Don't let that shower we took go to your head."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/you-re-getting-into-some-kind-of-shape-cop-aw-come-on-now-butch/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/) [Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) Browse all 40,753 Kind quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charley Pride" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were-supposed-to-sing-one-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were-supposed-to-sing-one-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/charley-pride-11047_kind_no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were_3039882.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what…” — Charley Pride", "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": "Charley Pride", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No one had ever told me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were-supposed-to-sing-one-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/no-one-had-ever-told-me-that-whites-were-supposed-to-sing-one-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```