--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful…" description: "\"A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does not vote is failing to serve t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/constance-baker-motley-14556_causes_a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful_334384.png" --- # A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have… ![“A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does not vote is failing to serve the cause of freedom - his own freedom, his people's freedom, and his country's freedom.” quote by Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/constance-baker-motley-14556_causes_a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful_334384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/constance-baker-motley-14556_causes_a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful_334384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/constance-baker-motley-14556_causes_a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful_334384.png) > “A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does not vote is failing to serve the cause of freedom - his own freedom, his people's freedom, and his country's freedom.” [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Voting is a duty to honor those who fought for freedom and to protect personal and collective liberty. **In simple terms:** Voting honors past sacrifices and safeguards freedom. Key Takeaway Vote to uphold freedom. Themes civic duty freedom justice Mood determined hopeful Type political activist When to use this quote - elections - community meetings - activist gatherings Key Concepts civil rights political participation Questions to Reflect On - How does your vote impact change? - What barriers prevent voting? A Different Perspective Voting alone cannot fix systemic oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Fighting for freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-for-freedom/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [if I fall, I will fall five-feet four-inches forward in the fight for freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/if-i-fall-i-will-fall-five-feet-four-inches-forward-in-the-fight-for/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [My people are scared of the air around them, they always have an excuse not to fight for freedom,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-kuti/my-people-are-scared-of-the-air-around-them-they-always-have-an/) [Fela Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-kuti/) > [Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/over-the-years-the-united-states-has-sent-many-of-its-fine-young-men/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [One should never put on one's best trousers to go out to fight for freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/one-should-never-put-on-one-s-best-trousers-to-go-out-to-fight-for/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [I don't think the only place to fight for freedom is in the halls of Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/i-don-t-think-the-only-place-to-fight-for-freedom-is-in-the-halls-of/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zell-miller/i-can-remember-when-democrats-believed-that-it-was-the-duty-of/) [Zell Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zell-miller/) > [I'm tired of the ayatollahs of the right wing. We're fighting for freedom in Iraq. We're going to fight for freedom in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/i-m-tired-of-the-ayatollahs-of-the-right-wing-we-re-fighting-for/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [Men fight for freedom; then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-fight-for-freedom-then-they-begin-to-accumulate-laws-to-take-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every artist, every scientist, every writer must decide now where he stands. The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/every-artist-every-scientist-every-writer-must-decide-now-where-he/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [The history of American women is about the fight for freedom, but it's less a war against oppressive men than a struggle to straighten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-history-of-american-women-is-about-the-fight-for-freedom-but-it-s/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I'm still convinced. We all fight for freedom, but the foundation of freedom is equality and justice. And we are all on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/i-m-still-convinced-we-all-fight-for-freedom-but-the-foundation-of/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [We have many times led Europe in the fight for freedom. 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I have family, I have friends that have gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-kaepernick/i-have-great-respect-for-the-men-and-women-that-have-fought-for-the/) [Colin Kaepernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-kaepernick/) > [The artist must elect to fight for Freedom or for Slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/the-artist-must-elect-to-fight-for-freedom-or-for-slavery/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/we-do-not-see-faith-hope-and-charity-as-unattainable-ideals-but-we/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) ## More by Constance Baker Motley > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Living at the YMCA in Harlem dramatically broadened my view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/living-at-the-ymca-in-harlem-dramatically-broadened-my-view-of-the/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-century-i-see-class/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Had it not been for James Meredith, who was willing to risk his life, the University of Mississippi would still be all white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/had-it-not-been-for-james-meredith-who-was-willing-to-risk-his-life/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [New Orleans may well have been the most liberal Deep South city in 1954 becaThe legal difference between the sit-ins and the Freedom Riders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/new-orleans-may-well-have-been-the-most-liberal-deep-south-city-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I remember being infuriated from the top of my head to the tip of my toes the first time a screen was put around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-remember-being-infuriated-from-the-top-of-my-head-to-the-tip-of-my/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Affirmitive action is extremely complex because it appears in many different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/affirmitive-action-is-extremely-complex-because-it-appears-in-many/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I was born and raised in the oldest settled part of the nation and in an environment in which racism was officially mooted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-was-born-and-raised-in-the-oldest-settled-part-of-the-nation-and-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Whites would rather not be involved in race matters, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/whites-would-rather-not-be-involved-in-race-matters-i-think/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [By 1962, King had become, by the media's reckoning, the new civil rights leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/by-1962-king-had-become-by-the-media-s-reckoning-the-new-civil-rights/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [How long must the American community afford special treatment to blacks?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/how-long-must-the-american-community-afford-special-treatment-to/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The last state to admit a black student to the college level was South Carolina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-last-state-to-admit-a-black-student-to-the-college-level-was/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Something which we think is impossible now is not impossible in another decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/something-which-we-think-is-impossible-now-is-not-impossible-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The Constitution, as originally drawn, made no reference to the fact that all Americans wre considered equal members of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-constitution-as-originally-drawn-made-no-reference-to-the-fact/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [In my view, I did not get to the federal bench because I was a woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/in-my-view-i-did-not-get-to-the-federal-bench-because-i-was-a-woman/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) [Explore all 46 Constance Baker Motley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## More Causes quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. 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