--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been preaching it. I've been getting…" description: "\"I've been preaching it. I've been getting the word out. I've been telling people 'Stop talking white at work. Talk how you talk and if they fire you, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/deon-cole-6960_fire_i-ve-been-preaching-it-i-ve-been-getting_2179363.jpg" --- # I've been preaching it. I've been getting the word out… ![“I've been preaching it. I've been getting the word out. I've been telling people 'Stop talking white at work. Talk how you talk and if they fire you, you got a lawsuit. Simple as that.'” quote by Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/deon-cole-6960_fire_i-ve-been-preaching-it-i-ve-been-getting_2179363.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/deon-cole-6960_fire_i-ve-been-preaching-it-i-ve-been-getting_2179363.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/deon-cole-6960_fire_i-ve-been-preaching-it-i-ve-been-getting_2179363.jpg) > “I've been preaching it. I've been getting the word out. I've been telling people 'Stop talking white at work. Talk how you talk and if they fire you, you got a lawsuit. Simple as that.'” [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) ## 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 urges people to speak authentically at work, warning that pretending to be someone else can lead to legal consequences. **In simple terms:** Speak yourself at work or risk lawsuits. Key Takeaway Be authentic, avoid discriminatory language. Themes authenticity workplace culture legal risk Mood defiant humorous Type motivational satirical When to use this quote - job interviews - team meetings - HR training sessions Key Concepts communication identity employment law Questions to Reflect On - What steps can companies take to foster genuine communication? - How do you protect yourself while staying true to yourself? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex workplace dynamics and legal nuances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [That was worse than stealing, you know, talking back to a white person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudette-colvin/that-was-worse-than-stealing-you-know-talking-back-to-a-white-person/) [Claudette Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudette-colvin/) > [We are not anti-white. But we don't have time for the white man. The white man is on top already, the white man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-are-not-anti-white-but-we-don-t-have-time-for-the-white-man-the/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The idea of 'talking white,' a lot of people grew up around that, just the idea that if you speak with proper diction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/the-idea-of-talking-white-a-lot-of-people-grew-up-around-that-just/) [Chance the Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [I'm talking so much white, you would think I was racist. See I came from the bottom, I'm talking under the basement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jeezy/i-m-talking-so-much-white-you-would-think-i-was-racist-see-i-came/) [Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-jeezy/) > [“Some of us don't like the way you've been telling it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/some-of-us-don-t-like-the-way-you-ve-been-telling-it/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [My whole life, I've been telling jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garrett/my-whole-life-i-ve-been-telling-jokes/) [Brad Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garrett/) > [I bet you tell every girl what you've been telling me.. Im done with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-you-tell-every-girl-what-you-ve-been-telling-me-im-done-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We've made it! This is it! Look Lusa, that's the ice — it's what I've been telling you about for so long!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/we-ve-made-it-this-is-it-look-lusa-that-s-the-ice-it-s-what-i-ve-been/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [“I've been telling you how I feel the whole time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/i-ve-been-telling-you-how-i-feel-the-whole-time/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [I hate publicity. The only publicity must be through my work. I can only talk about myself in relation to work. I know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-tushingham/i-hate-publicity-the-only-publicity-must-be-through-my-work-i-can/) [Rita Tushingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-tushingham/) > [I teach literature. That's easy for me. Take someone else's work and talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/i-teach-literature-that-s-easy-for-me-take-someone-else-s-work-and/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [We can work it out If we talk about it We can show the world That you and I are fighting for it We'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-work-it-out-if-we-talk-about-it-we-can-show-the-world-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's so much more fun to do the work than to talk about it. I will have to admit that. Everybody gets to decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/it-s-so-much-more-fun-to-do-the-work-than-to-talk-about-it-i-will/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [When I dont have work to talk about, I dont need to be in the headlines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti-kulhari/when-i-dont-have-work-to-talk-about-i-dont-need-to-be-in-the-headlines/) [Kirti Kulhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirti-kulhari/) > [Make your life your work, not your talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/make-your-life-your-work-not-your-talk/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) ## More by Deon Cole > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Yeah, absolutely - comedy saved my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/yeah-absolutely-comedy-saved-my-life/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [I learned from mistakes. If I ride my bike and I don't hold the handlebars and I fall, I know to hold them next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/i-learned-from-mistakes-if-i-ride-my-bike-and-i-don-t-hold-the/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [A friend of mine was watching TV one day and he just was like, 'I bet you want to do comedy,' and he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/a-friend-of-mine-was-watching-tv-one-day-and-he-just-was-like-i-bet/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [When I did 'The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien,' Conan came to my dressing room after and was like, 'Man, that was great.' Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/when-i-did-the-tonight-show-with-conan-o-brien-conan-came-to-my/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [In my early 20s, I started doing comedy. I started doing auditions in Chicago. It led me to writing my own sketches for Second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/in-my-early-20s-i-started-doing-comedy-i-started-doing-auditions-in/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [That's the whole point of anyone's standup career. It's to get people to listen to their point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/that-s-the-whole-point-of-anyone-s-standup-career-it-s-to-get-people/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [If I decide to do a college, which is very, very, very rare, I just stay as P.C. as possible. My point of view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/if-i-decide-to-do-a-college-which-is-very-very-very-rare-i-just-stay/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [I love being a comic but I love acting as well. They're both very necessary avenues for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/i-love-being-a-comic-but-i-love-acting-as-well-they-re-both-very/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [I always thought that asking questions at the end was a cool way for doing a stand-up show. It's unique and different, and helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/i-always-thought-that-asking-questions-at-the-end-was-a-cool-way-for/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Black-ish' is my family forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/black-ish-is-my-family-forever/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [You can change the world, sometimes, with the opinions and thoughts we have as comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/you-can-change-the-world-sometimes-with-the-opinions-and-thoughts-we/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [I used to want to be the black dude in 'The Last Dragon.' I wanted to be Ralph Tresvant from New Edition - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/i-used-to-want-to-be-the-black-dude-in-the-last-dragon-i-wanted-to-be/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Funny comes in different levels. Like not looking seasoned, or not looking prepared, the way that an actual comic should look, becomes funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/funny-comes-in-different-levels-like-not-looking-seasoned-or-not/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [There's nothing that I would never not talk about, but I would do it in a classy way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/there-s-nothing-that-i-would-never-not-talk-about-but-i-would-do-it/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) [Explore all 96 Deon Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) ## More Fire quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [“Nothing is ever lost nor can be lost; the body aged, sluggish,cold… the embers left from earlier fires shall dully flame again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-is-ever-lost-nor-can-be-lost-the-body-aged-sluggish-cold-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-like-a-fire-one-man-may-start-it-but-it-will-spread-all-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [AHHHHHH! Goyle has set the bloody place on fire! -Ron Weasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ahhhhhh-goyle-has-set-the-bloody-place-on-fire-ron-weasley/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 8,652 Fire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've been preaching it. I've been getting the word out. I've been telling people 'Stop talking white at work. Talk how you talk and if they fire you, you got a lawsuit. 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