--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: because this is how it was with them: the…" description: "\"“because this is how it was with them: the boy’s father had dark skin, darker even than my own, and the boy’s mother was a white woman. They were holdi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/chris-cleave-1698_dark-skin_because-this-is-how-it-was-with-them-the_2183838.png" --- # because this is how it was with them: the boy’s father had… ![“because this is how it was with them: the boy’s father had dark skin, darker even than my own, and the boy’s mother was a white woman. They were holding hands and smiling at their boy, whose skin was light brown. It was the color of the man and the woman joined in happiness. It” quote by Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/chris-cleave-1698_dark-skin_because-this-is-how-it-was-with-them-the_2183838.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/chris-cleave-1698_dark-skin_because-this-is-how-it-was-with-them-the_2183838.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/chris-cleave-1698_dark-skin_because-this-is-how-it-was-with-them-the_2183838.png) > ““because this is how it was with them: the boy’s father had dark skin, darker even than my own, and the boy’s mother was a white woman. They were holding hands and smiling at their boy, whose skin was light brown. It was the color of the man and the woman joined in happiness. It”” [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Racial differences can dissolve in love, showing that shared humanity transcends skin color when families unite. **In simple terms:** Love bridges racial divides. Key Takeaway Celebrate diverse families. Themes love race family unity Mood hopeful empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - multicultural education - community events - media representation Key Concepts Social integration humanism Questions to Reflect On - How can families model inclusivity? - What challenges arise in mixed‑race households? A Different Perspective Societal prejudice may persist despite personal examples. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boy Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-father-576740/) [Boy Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-mother-1004693/) [Dark skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-skin/) [Hands Smiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-smiling-4728622/) [Holding hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-hands/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Smiling Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiling-boy-1569722/) ## Related quotes > [“There is more to a boy than what his mother sees. There is more to a boy then what his father dreams. Inside every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-behunin/there-is-more-to-a-boy-than-what-his-mother-sees-there-is-more-to-a/) [Ben Behunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-behunin/) > [Smiling the boy fell dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/smiling-the-boy-fell-dead/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [As an only child, particularly if you're a boy without a father, you have to work out for yourself who you're going to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/as-an-only-child-particularly-if-you-re-a-boy-without-a-father-you/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [“Here one moment, in the great beyond the next. An eyeblink, and a boy becomes his father.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/here-one-moment-in-the-great-beyond-the-next-an-eyeblink-and-a-boy/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The boy could see in his father's gaze a desire to be able, himself, to travel the world—a desire that was still alive, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-boy-could-see-in-his-father-s-gaze-a-desire-to-be-able-himself-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We came around the corner and stood in the doorway of what looked like a paint-testing ground. This was where we proved once and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-harney/we-came-around-the-corner-and-stood-in-the-doorway-of-what-looked/) [Sylvia Harney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-harney/) > [It may be hard on some fathers not to have a son, but it is much harder on a boy not to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gilbert/it-may-be-hard-on-some-fathers-not-to-have-a-son-but-it-is-much/) [Sara Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gilbert/) > [“Kyle saw them as a double-pronged problem: the ship that would not heed his wishes because of a boy that would not be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/kyle-saw-them-as-a-double-pronged-problem-the-ship-that-would-not/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [When I was a boy I was my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/when-i-was-a-boy-i-was-my-father/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I remember when I was a little boy my father didn't love me; he couldn't. He loved my older brother but he couldn't love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/i-remember-when-i-was-a-little-boy-my-father-didn-t-love-me-he-couldn/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [“THERE WAS ALWAYS a boy in your life that common sense and the prayers of parents told you to stay away from: fast talker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-lape/there-was-always-a-boy-in-your-life-that-common-sense-and-the-prayers/) [A.J. Lape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-lape/) > [My mother always wanted a boy. My father never did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/my-mother-always-wanted-a-boy-my-father-never-did/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [“Where the parents are not 'good enough' the rest of the programme for life may be distorted and later stages in the archetypal sequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-stevens/where-the-parents-are-not-good-enough-the-rest-of-the-programme-for/) [Anthony Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-stevens/) > [“In a brief court proceeding in 1966 the boy’s mother had her son declared legally dead so she could enter into possession of Edward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-brief-court-proceeding-in-1966-the-boy-s-mother-had-her-son/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Give me the life of the boy whose mother is nurse, seamstress, washerwoman, cook, teacher, angel, and saint, all in one, and whose father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/give-me-the-life-of-the-boy-whose-mother-is-nurse-seamstress/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) ## More by Chris Cleave > [It was hard not to be full of hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/it-was-hard-not-to-be-full-of-hope/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [This is the forked tongue of grief again. It whispers in one ear: return to what you once loved best, and in the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/this-is-the-forked-tongue-of-grief-again-it-whispers-in-one-ear/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [In a few breaths' time I will speak some sad words to you. But you must hear them the same way we have agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/in-a-few-breaths-time-i-will-speak-some-sad-words-to-you-but-you-must/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Wouldn't that be funny, if the oil rebels were playing U2 in their jungle camps, and the government soldiers were playing U2 in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/wouldn-t-that-be-funny-if-the-oil-rebels-were-playing-u2-in-their/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“When death comes you do not stay for one minute in the place it has visited. Many things arrive after death-sadness, questions, and policemen-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/when-death-comes-you-do-not-stay-for-one-minute-in-the-place-it-has/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“I smiled down at Charlie, and I understood that he would be free now even if I would not. In this way the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-smiled-down-at-charlie-and-i-understood-that-he-would-be-free-now/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I do think it is harder to acknowledge our strengths, or to forgive ourselves and each other for our shortcomings, when there has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-do-think-it-is-harder-to-acknowledge-our-strengths-or-to-forgive/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I think the recent cluster of WWII novels is so good because we have reached an optimal distance from the war. Just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-think-the-recent-cluster-of-wwii-novels-is-so-good-because-we-have/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“Yu only be livin one life, darlin. Don't matter yu don't uh-preshie-ate part of it, cos it don't stop bein part of yu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/yu-only-be-livin-one-life-darlin-don-t-matter-yu-don-t-uh-preshie-ate/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Sometimes we don't notice that someone is being brave, because they are only doing something that seems quite easy for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/sometimes-we-don-t-notice-that-someone-is-being-brave-because-they/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Life is extremely short and you cannot dance to current affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/life-is-extremely-short-and-you-cannot-dance-to-current-affairs/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive. The next thing you know something fine will happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/sad-words-are-just-another-beauty-a-sad-story-means-this-storyteller/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“If I was telling this story to the girls from back home, I would have to explain to them how it was possible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/if-i-was-telling-this-story-to-the-girls-from-back-home-i-would-have/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“April showers bring May flower”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/april-showers-bring-may-flower/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) [Explore all 214 Chris Cleave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## More Dark skin quotes > [“He puts his arm around me, the lights dancing on his dark skin constantly skipping across to mine, planting a myriad of emotions into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppet/he-puts-his-arm-around-me-the-lights-dancing-on-his-dark-skin/) [Poppet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppet/) > [When I moved out here and people saw my name... I had a shaved head, dark skin, and a tattoo...You would be shocked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-prinze-jr-2/when-i-moved-out-here-and-people-saw-my-name-i-had-a-shaved-head-dark/) [Freddie Prinze Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-prinze-jr-2/) > [Virtually all of Darfur's six million residents are Muslim, and, because of decades of intermarriage, almost everyone has dark skin and African features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/virtually-all-of-darfur-s-six-million-residents-are-muslim-and/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [Unfortunately, terror is now linked to immigration, and anyone with dark skin or a beard or a Muslim name is suspect. Russia, France, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-chidambaram/unfortunately-terror-is-now-linked-to-immigration-and-anyone-with/) [P. Chidambaram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-chidambaram/) > [I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachanze/i-am-an-african-american-woman-of-dark-skin-tone-and-there-are-very/) [LaChanze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachanze/) > [We shouldn't be discriminating against each other. The whole 'light skin versus dark skin' is an idea we need to break down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/we-shouldn-t-be-discriminating-against-each-other-the-whole-light/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For black people who are really dark - and a lot of black people were averse to be dark skinned - it was believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/for-black-people-who-are-really-dark-and-a-lot-of-black-people-were/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat of his big hand around mine, the flash of his white teeth against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/the-laughter-in-his-deep-set-black-eyes-the-feverish-heat-of-his-big/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“Being that the \*historical\* Jesus was of pure Hebraic descent- lineage of Eber- He was not an Arab or of Arabic descent, therefore He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/being-that-the-historical-jesus-was-of-pure-hebraic-descent-lineage/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [I’m a black woman who is from Central Falls, Rhode Island. I’m dark skinned. I’m quirky. I’m shy. I’m strong. I’m guarded. I’m weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-m-a-black-woman-who-is-from-central-falls-rhode-island-i-m-dark/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [“He looked up and I realised how close we were, both of us leaning in together. I blinked a few times, suddenly light-headed, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-anastasiu/he-looked-up-and-i-realised-how-close-we-were-both-of-us-leaning-in/) [Heather Anastasiu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-anastasiu/) > [“I wonder how anyone could think I’m too dark, when my skin is a declaration of how much the sun is in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-s-jones/i-wonder-how-anyone-could-think-i-m-too-dark-when-my-skin-is-a/) [I.S. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-s-jones/) > [“He looked back at the stairs. The man he had stabbed wasn’t moving. His dark skin had taken on the gray pallor of death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/he-looked-back-at-the-stairs-the-man-he-had-stabbed-wasn-t-moving-his/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“Our arithmetic textbooks, which contained problems about speeding trains and leaky cisterns, should rightfully have included the following: how many tins of Cuticura talcum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-meena/our-arithmetic-textbooks-which-contained-problems-about-speeding/) [C.K. Meena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-meena/) > [“On any woman, the shine was brilliant. But, in contrast to their dark skin, it truly was the Milky Way of watches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holliday-vann/on-any-woman-the-shine-was-brilliant-but-in-contrast-to-their-dark/) [Holliday Vann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holliday-vann/) [Browse all 119 Dark skin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-skin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“because this is how it was with them: the boy’s father had dark skin, darker even than my own, and the boy’s mother was a white woman. They were holding hands and smiling at their boy, whose skin was light brown. It was the color of the man and the woman joined in happiness. 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