--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We knew then what we know now; only…" description: "\"We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.\" — Constance Baker Motley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png" --- # We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are… ![“We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.” quote by Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png) > “We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.” [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. Only certain Black individuals are deemed acceptable, reflecting narrow standards of representation. **In simple terms:** Society accepts limited Black role models. Key Takeaway Broaden representation beyond stereotypes. Themes race representation social norms Mood reflective serious Type social educational When to use this quote - news interviews - panel discussions - educational curricula Key Concepts identity politics media portrayal Questions to Reflect On - Who decides which Black voices are valued? - How can diverse narratives be amplified? A Different Perspective Accepting narrow standards perpetuates inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacks/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [It is time to celebrate the New Black Americans - those who have sealed the Deal, who aren't beholden to liberal indulgence any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/it-is-time-to-celebrate-the-new-black-americans-those-who-have-sealed/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Too many whites still see blacks as a group apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/too-many-whites-still-see-blacks-as-a-group-apart/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [There is no longer a single common impediment to blacks emerging in this society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/there-is-no-longer-a-single-common-impediment-to-blacks-emerging-in/) [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/) > [I wish I knew what I know now before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-wish-i-knew-what-i-know-now-before/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [“This much I knew and know: I was making myself hideously uncomfortable by not narrowing my attention to details of life which were immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/this-much-i-knew-and-know-i-was-making-myself-hideously-uncomfortable/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-did-then-what-i-knew-how-to-do-now-that-i-know-better-i-do-better/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“When people say "If I only knew then what I know now" makes me wonder why they aren't using that wisdom now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liano/when-people-say-if-i-only-knew-then-what-i-know-now-makes-me-wonder/) [Rob Liano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liano/) > [When I was a young guy, I knew everything. Now I know very little. I know less and less as the time goes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/when-i-was-a-young-guy-i-knew-everything-now-i-know-very-little-i/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [And I knew then, as I know now, that I still have so much to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/and-i-knew-then-as-i-know-now-that-i-still-have-so-much-to-do/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [If I knew then what I know now, I would still be dreaming BIG today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-storey/if-i-knew-then-what-i-know-now-i-would-still-be-dreaming-big-today/) [Tim Storey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-storey/) > [If I knew what I know now..you would have never been in my life to begin with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/if-i-knew-what-i-know-now-you-would-have-never-been-in-my-life-to/) Author Name > [“If you knew her, you would know her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-w-mccoy-jr/if-you-knew-her-you-would-know-her/) Timothy W.McCoy Jr > [“He knew everything there was to know about literature, except how to enjoy it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/he-knew-everything-there-was-to-know-about-literature-except-how-to/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## 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/) > [A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful-to-those-who-have-already/) [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/) [Explore all 46 Constance Baker Motley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## More Acceptable quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... Which is why our actions must always be acceptable in themselves, and not as strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/we-cannot-guess-the-outcome-of-our-actions-which-is-why-our-actions/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [It's horrible how money and fame can make you acceptable while, if you're not famous or rich, you're not acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/it-s-horrible-how-money-and-fame-can-make-you-acceptable-while-if-you/) [Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/) > [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/) > [We get used to a certain kind of colour of form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/we-get-used-to-a-certain-kind-of-colour-of-form-or-format-and-it-s/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Constance Baker Motley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemplary-blacks-are-acceptable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemplary-blacks-are-acceptable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/constance-baker-motley-14556_acceptable_we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemp_2743789.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We knew then what we know now; only exemplary blacks are acceptable.” — Constance Baker Motley", "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": "Constance Baker Motley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We knew then what we know...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemplary-blacks-are-acceptable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/we-knew-then-what-we-know-now-only-exemplary-blacks-are-acceptable/#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 } } ] } ```