--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ve learned that when it comes to race…" description: "\"“I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such thing as neutral: either I’m intentionally and strategically working against it, or I’m aidin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg" --- # I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such… ![“I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such thing as neutral: either I’m intentionally and strategically working against it, or I’m aiding and abetting the system.” quote by Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg) > ““I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such thing as neutral: either I’m intentionally and strategically working against it, or I’m aiding and abetting the system.”” [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement asserts that race is never neutral; one must either actively oppose bias or inadvertently support it. **In simple terms:** Race is never neutral; you must choose a stance. Key Takeaway Take an active anti‑bias stance. Themes race bias neutrality Mood critical motivational Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy making - education - personal behavior Key Concepts social justice activism Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify your own biases? - What actions can you take to support equity? A Different Perspective Neutrality can be a passive choice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [There is no such thing as a neutral therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-neutral-therapist/) [Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/) > [“there is no such thing as a neutral exchange. You leave someone either a little better or a little worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-neutral-exchange-you-leave-someone-either/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [It is a wicked thing to be neutral between right and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-a-wicked-thing-to-be-neutral-between-right-and-wrong/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [there is no politically neutral art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/there-is-no-politically-neutral-art/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Ultimately, I do want us to be a transformative government. I want, when we've left, for people to say we're not just clean-green anymore:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/ultimately-i-do-want-us-to-be-a-transformative-government-i-want-when/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) > [It was an axiom of "containment" that no part of the known world could be considered neutral. "Neutralism" was among the Cold Warriors' gravest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-an-axiom-of-containment-that-no-part-of-the-known-world-could/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The most prominent place in hell is reserved for those who are neutral on the great issues of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-most-prominent-place-in-hell-is-reserved-for-those-who-are/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [My neutral accent is Bolton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-morgan/my-neutral-accent-is-bolton/) [Diane Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-morgan/) > [Technology is not neutral. We're inside of what we make, and it's inside of us. We're living in a world of connections — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-j-haraway/technology-is-not-neutral-we-re-inside-of-what-we-make-and-it-s/) [Donna J. Haraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-j-haraway/) > [I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-doueiri/i-was-a-child-during-the-lebanese-civil-war-and-i-remember-israeli/) [Ziad Doueiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-doueiri/) > [ “\[T\]he commitment to a framework neutral among ends can be seen as a kind of value \[...\] but its value consists precisely in its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/t-he-commitment-to-a-framework-neutral-among-ends-can-be-seen-as-a/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [Your relationships will either make you or break you and there is no such thing as a neutral relationship. People either inspire you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/your-relationships-will-either-make-you-or-break-you-and-there-is-no/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [Science is and should be seen as "completely neutral" on the issue of the theistic or atheistic implications of scientific results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-coyne/science-is-and-should-be-seen-as-completely-neutral-on-the-issue-of/) [George Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-coyne/) > [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Technology is not good, it's neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/technology-is-not-good-it-s-neutral/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) ## More by Debby Irving > [“Only a small part of reality, for a human being, is what is actually going on; the greater part is what he imagines in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/only-a-small-part-of-reality-for-a-human-being-is-what-is-actually/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Be it Europeans’ initial assumption of the right to invade in the 1600s, the Indian Removal Act in the 1800s, or the English-only acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/be-it-europeans-initial-assumption-of-the-right-to-invade-in-the/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/shifting-from-a-superior-inferior-paradigm-to-a-strength-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Any cycle that traps someone in a state of perpetual disadvantage is the real issue for the person experiencing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/any-cycle-that-traps-someone-in-a-state-of-perpetual-disadvantage-is/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [ “Eduardo Bonilla-Silva comments: “\[The\] melting pot never included people of color. Blacks, Chinese, Puerto Ricans, et cetera, could not melt into the pot. They… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/eduardo-bonilla-silva-comments-the-melting-pot-never-included-people/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“The story of race has become a self-fulfilling, self-perpetuating prophecy as the story creates the ideas, which then reinforce the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/the-story-of-race-has-become-a-self-fulfilling-self-perpetuating/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Choosing to engage in the effort to dismantle racism promises to bring with it discomfort, yet how can I compare my discomfort to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/choosing-to-engage-in-the-effort-to-dismantle-racism-promises-to/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Racism demands an artificial and divisive construction of humanity, in terms of how I make sense of others and also how I envision myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/racism-demands-an-artificial-and-divisive-construction-of-humanity-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Understanding whiteness, regardless of class, is key to understanding racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/understanding-whiteness-regardless-of-class-is-key-to-understanding/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“I now understand that acting like a white American wasn’t just a “When in Rome do as the Romans do” cultural sensibility, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-now-understand-that-acting-like-a-white-american-wasn-t-just-a-when/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“I’ve heard it said that conversations are the way human beings think together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-heard-it-said-that-conversations-are-the-way-human-beings-think/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“If there’s a place for tolerance in racial healing, perhaps it has to do with tolerating my own feelings of discomfort that arise when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/if-there-s-a-place-for-tolerance-in-racial-healing-perhaps-it-has-to/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“My white skin, an epidermal gold card, has greased the skids for a life full of opportunities and rewards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/my-white-skin-an-epidermal-gold-card-has-greased-the-skids-for-a-life/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Each cultural norm motivated me to fit in while judging others who didn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/each-cultural-norm-motivated-me-to-fit-in-while-judging-others-who/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“dysfunctional rescuing,” helping people in ways that actually disempower them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/dysfunctional-rescuing-helping-people-in-ways-that-actually/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) [Explore all 23 Debby Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) ## More Neutral quotes > [Technology is not good, it's neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/technology-is-not-good-it-s-neutral/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) > [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Science is and should be seen as "completely neutral" on the issue of the theistic or atheistic implications of scientific results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-coyne/science-is-and-should-be-seen-as-completely-neutral-on-the-issue-of/) [George Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-coyne/) > [Your relationships will either make you or break you and there is no such thing as a neutral relationship. People either inspire you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/your-relationships-will-either-make-you-or-break-you-and-there-is-no/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [ “\[T\]he commitment to a framework neutral among ends can be seen as a kind of value \[...\] but its value consists precisely in its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/t-he-commitment-to-a-framework-neutral-among-ends-can-be-seen-as-a/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-doueiri/i-was-a-child-during-the-lebanese-civil-war-and-i-remember-israeli/) [Ziad Doueiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-doueiri/) > [Technology is not neutral. We're inside of what we make, and it's inside of us. We're living in a world of connections — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-j-haraway/technology-is-not-neutral-we-re-inside-of-what-we-make-and-it-s/) [Donna J. Haraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-j-haraway/) > [My neutral accent is Bolton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-morgan/my-neutral-accent-is-bolton/) [Diane Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-morgan/) > [The most prominent place in hell is reserved for those who are neutral on the great issues of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-most-prominent-place-in-hell-is-reserved-for-those-who-are/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [It was an axiom of "containment" that no part of the known world could be considered neutral. "Neutralism" was among the Cold Warriors' gravest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-an-axiom-of-containment-that-no-part-of-the-known-world-could/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Ultimately, I do want us to be a transformative government. I want, when we've left, for people to say we're not just clean-green anymore:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/ultimately-i-do-want-us-to-be-a-transformative-government-i-want-when/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) > [there is no politically neutral art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/there-is-no-politically-neutral-art/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Love comes and when it comes it might go , so stay neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/love-comes-and-when-it-comes-it-might-go-so-stay-neutral/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [The power is neutral. It cannot be divided into positive and negative energies. Power is power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cunningham/the-power-is-neutral-it-cannot-be-divided-into-positive-and-negative/) [Scott Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cunningham/) > [I'm always the neutral guy, man. I'm able to bring people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/i-m-always-the-neutral-guy-man-i-m-able-to-bring-people-together/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) Browse all 213 Neutral quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such thing as neutral: either I’m intentionally and strategically working against it, or I’m aiding and abetting the system.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debby Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race-there-s-no-such-thing-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Neutral" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race-there-s-no-such-thing-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/debby-irving-25569_neutral_i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race_2793898.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I’ve learned that when it comes to race, there’s no such thing as neutral: either I’m intentionally and…” — Debby Irving", "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": "Debby Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I’ve learned that when it comes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race-there-s-no-such-thing-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-learned-that-when-it-comes-to-race-there-s-no-such-thing-as/#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 } } ] } ```