--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Long gone is the time when we opposed the…" description: "\"Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we all looked alike and talked alike. Somehow we have come to exalt the new black stereotype abov..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg" --- # Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we… ![“Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we all looked alike and talked alike. Somehow we have come to exalt the new black stereotype above all and to demand conformity to that norm... [However], I assert my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as…” quote by Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg) > “Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we all looked alike and talked alike. Somehow we have come to exalt the new black stereotype above all and to demand conformity to that norm... \[However\], I assert my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as though I was an intellectual slave because I'm black.” [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects imposed stereotypes and demands the freedom to think independently, opposing forced conformity based on race. **In simple terms:** Reject stereotypes; demand personal intellectual freedom. Key Takeaway Assert independent thought regardless of racial expectations. Themes identity freedom stereotypes conformity rights Mood defiant thoughtful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - education - workplace - media representation - political discourse Key Concepts civil rights philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What steps can individuals take to protect intellectual autonomy? - How does society enforce or challenge racial stereotypes? A Different Perspective Individual thought may still be constrained by systemic pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There's always been a quiet conversation and joke that if you're not hard, if you're not from impoverished neighborhoods, if you're not certain constructs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/there-s-always-been-a-quiet-conversation-and-joke-that-if-you-re-not/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/as-long-as-she-thinks-of-a-man-nobody-objects-to-a-woman-thinking/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [When you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. ... And I don't quite know how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/when-you-hear-men-talking-said-cornelia-all-they-ever-do-is-speak-ill/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-do-not-think-i-ever-opened-a-book-in-my-life-which-had-not/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > ["But when you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. 'And I don't quite know how they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/but-when-you-hear-men-talking-said-cornelia-all-they-ever-do-is-speak/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [The rule seemed to be that a great woman must either die unwed ... or find a still greater man to marry her. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-rule-seemed-to-be-that-a-great-woman-must-either-die-unwed-or/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Perhaps some are confused because they have stereotypes of how blacks should be and I respectfully decline, as I did in my youth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/perhaps-some-are-confused-because-they-have-stereotypes-of-how-blacks/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [ There is something very special about this part of the world \[U.S\], which is the openness and the curiosity and the lack of prejudice… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/there-is-something-very-special-about-this-part-of-the-world-u-s/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I was a breed of people who aren't capable of doing anything, really. At college I began to get the idea that being macho…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/i-was-a-breed-of-people-who-aren-t-capable-of-doing-anything-really/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [I see history as really cyclical in terms of the intense idealism, and the desire to create a better life outside of societal norms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-see-history-as-really-cyclical-in-terms-of-the-intense-idealism-and/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [Modern capitalism seeks to assure us that it operates according to the principles of free creativity, endless development and diversity. It glosses over its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadezhda-tolokonnikova/modern-capitalism-seeks-to-assure-us-that-it-operates-according-to/) [Nadezhda Tolokonnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadezhda-tolokonnikova/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) ## More by Clarence Thomas > [You have a number of choices. You could continue to always fight against people who are really distractions. They're people in the cheap seats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/you-have-a-number-of-choices-you-could-continue-to-always-fight/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-disagree-with-the-prevailing-point-of-view-of-some-black-leaders/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [My grandfather was a man, when he talked about freedom, his attitude was really interesting. His view was that you had obligations or you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/my-grandfather-was-a-man-when-he-talked-about-freedom-his-attitude/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [Perhaps some are confused because they have stereotypes of how blacks should be and I respectfully decline, as I did in my youth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/perhaps-some-are-confused-because-they-have-stereotypes-of-how-blacks/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [ The Constitution does not vest in Congress the authority to protect society from every bad act that might befall it…\[I\]f followed to its logical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-constitution-does-not-vest-in-congress-the-authority-to-protect/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [The job of a judge is to figure out what the law says, not what he wants it to say. There is a difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-job-of-a-judge-is-to-figure-out-what-the-law-says-not-what-he/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [Differences in race, differences in sex, somebody doesn’t look at you right, somebody says something. Everybody is sensitive. If I had been as sensitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/differences-in-race-differences-in-sex-somebody-doesn-t-look-at-you/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [ A theory deeply etched in our law \[is that\] a free society prefers to punish the few who abuse the rights of free speech… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/a-theory-deeply-etched-in-our-law-is-that-a-free-society-prefers-to/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [I don't know one of my friends who is considered a conservative who has not had to go back and thoroughly think through everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-don-t-know-one-of-my-friends-who-is-considered-a-conservative-who/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [I' been very partial to Malcolm X, particularly his self-help teachings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-been-very-partial-to-malcolm-x-particularly-his-self-help-teachings/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [When you look at where the real problems are among minorities in our society, particularly blacks, it's at the bottom. It's the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/when-you-look-at-where-the-real-problems-are-among-minorities-in-our/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [The only people who have quick answers don't have the responsibility of making the decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-only-people-who-have-quick-answers-don-t-have-the-responsibility/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [Today, now, it is time to move forward, a time to look for what is good in others, what is good in our country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/today-now-it-is-time-to-move-forward-a-time-to-look-for-what-is-good/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [The Constitution contains no 'dignity' Clause, and even if it did, the government would be incapable of bestowing dignity. ... Slaves did not lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/the-constitution-contains-no-dignity-clause-and-even-if-it-did-the/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [There's a difference between someone who's 'harsh' and someone who is 'hard.' Life was hard. You lived in the South, as my grandparents did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/there-s-a-difference-between-someone-who-s-harsh-and-someone-who-is/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) [Explore all 89 Clarence Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) ## 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": "Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we all looked alike and talked alike. Somehow we have come to exalt the new black stereotype above all and to demand conformity to that norm... [However], I assert my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as though I was an intellectual slave because I'm black.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clarence Thomas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-the-notion-that-we-all-looked/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-the-notion-that-we-all-looked/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/clarence-thomas-7661_black_long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-th_2627070.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Long gone is the time when we opposed the notion that we all looked alike and talked alike. Somehow we have…” — Clarence Thomas", "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": "Clarence Thomas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Long gone is the time when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-the-notion-that-we-all-looked/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/long-gone-is-the-time-when-we-opposed-the-notion-that-we-all-looked/#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 } } ] } ```