--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miscegenation is not an idea that we…" description: "\"Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the Caribbean. It wouldn't come up because anybody could marry anybody, you know. I'm not saying tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg" --- # Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the… ![“Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the Caribbean. It wouldn't come up because anybody could marry anybody, you know. I'm not saying that there aren't prejudices in the Caribbean, but the idea of the word 'miscegenation' is not something that we think of.” quote by Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg) > “Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the Caribbean. It wouldn't come up because anybody could marry anybody, you know. I'm not saying that there aren't prejudices in the Caribbean, but the idea of the word 'miscegenation' is not something that we think of.” [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In the Caribbean, interracial marriage is common, so the term “miscegenation” feels irrelevant despite underlying biases. **In simple terms:** Mixed marriages are normal there, so the word isn’t used. Key Takeaway Recognize that language reflects social context. Themes culture race language identity social norms Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical observational When to use this quote - family discussions - policy debates - educational curricula - media representation Key Concepts postcolonialism intersectionality Questions to Reflect On - How does everyday practice shape the words we need? - Can we address bias without labeling it? A Different Perspective The term may still be useful for academic analysis of historic prejudice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caribbean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caribbean/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Miscegenation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miscegenation-123187/) [Miscegenation Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miscegenation-idea-2954448/) [Miscegenation Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miscegenation-think-2954449/) [Prejudices Caribbean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudices-caribbean-2954450/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Word Miscegenation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-miscegenation-2954451/) ## Related quotes > [“Not even God who made us all can kill everybody at once. He kills people one by one, and the more he kills the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-amado/not-even-god-who-made-us-all-can-kill-everybody-at-once-he-kills/) [Jorge Amado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-amado/) > [The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-miscegenation-laws-of-the-south-only-operate-against-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are all descendants of Adam, and we are all products of racial miscegenation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-b-pearson/we-are-all-descendants-of-adam-and-we-are-all-products-of-racial/) [Lester B. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-b-pearson/) > [I'm much more attracted to the miscegenation of cultures than to harmony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-mukherjee/i-m-much-more-attracted-to-the-miscegenation-of-cultures-than-to/) [Neel Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-mukherjee/) > [“Race theorists, who are as old as imperialism itself, want to achieve racial purity in peoples whose interbreeding, as a result of the expansion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/race-theorists-who-are-as-old-as-imperialism-itself-want-to-achieve/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [America has never had a very wide vocabulary for miscegenation. We say we like diversity, but we don't like the idea that our Hispanic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/america-has-never-had-a-very-wide-vocabulary-for-miscegenation-we-say/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [The wisdom of the masses is not always wise. You could put a lot of things to a vote-you could have put anti-miscegenation laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/the-wisdom-of-the-masses-is-not-always-wise-you-could-put-a-lot-of/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [“Intermarriage is one of the most provocative words in the English language”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clotye-murdock-larsson/intermarriage-is-one-of-the-most-provocative-words-in-the-english/) [Clotye Murdock Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clotye-murdock-larsson/) > [Modesty is not possible in performance in the Caribbean - and that's wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/modesty-is-not-possible-in-performance-in-the-caribbean-and-that-s/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The Chinese, the African, and the European - they are all there. So the division of the Caribbean experience into being emphatically only African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-chinese-the-african-and-the-european-they-are-all-there-so-the/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I am primarily, absolutely a Caribbean writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-am-primarily-absolutely-a-caribbean-writer/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I'm from the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean in the Lesser Antilles, the lower part of the archipelago, which is a bilingual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-m-from-the-island-of-st-lucia-in-the-caribbean-in-the-lesser/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I'm read in the Caribbean with justice, with fairness. What I expect it to do is to encourage articulacy in the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-m-read-in-the-caribbean-with-justice-with-fairness-what-i-expect-it/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [My delight in things is definitely Caribbean. It has to do with landscape and food. The fact that my language may have a metrical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/my-delight-in-things-is-definitely-caribbean-it-has-to-do-with/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) ## More by Derek Walcott > [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Peel your own image from the mirror. Sit. Feast on your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/peel-your-own-image-from-the-mirror-sit-feast-on-your-life/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I don't feel I've arrived home until I get on the beach. All my life, the theater of the sea has been a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-don-t-feel-i-ve-arrived-home-until-i-get-on-the-beach-all-my-life/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“I shall unlearn feeling, unlearn my gift. That is greater and harder than what passes there for life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-shall-unlearn-feeling-unlearn-my-gift-that-is-greater-and-harder/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The greatest writers have been, at heart, parochial, provincial in their rootedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-greatest-writers-have-been-at-heart-parochial-provincial-in-their/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-time-will-come-when-with-elation-you-will-greet-yourself-arriving/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/break-a-vase-and-the-love-that-reassembles-the-fragments-is-stronger/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [My mother, who is nearly ninety now, still talks continually about my father. All my life, I've been aware of her grief about his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/my-mother-who-is-nearly-ninety-now-still-talks-continually-about-my/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [My family background really only consists of my mother. She was a widow. My father died quite young; he must have been thirty-one. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/my-family-background-really-only-consists-of-my-mother-she-was-a/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“I am the man my father loved and was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-am-the-man-my-father-loved-and-was/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Like any art, what is the most imprisoning thing is also the most delivering thing. If an actor knows he only has 12 syllables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/like-any-art-what-is-the-most-imprisoning-thing-is-also-the-most/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The thing that is believed is a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-thing-that-is-believed-is-a-reality/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The history of the world - by which, of course, we mean Europe - is a record of intertribal lacerations, of ethnic cleansings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-history-of-the-world-by-which-of-course-we-mean-europe-is-a/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [The English language is nobody's special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-english-language-is-nobody-s-special-property-it-is-the-property/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) [Explore all 177 Derek Walcott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) ## More Caribbean quotes > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [“I say, ‘Man, you best behave youself this time, cause we ain’t never getting this mattress out from in here.’ … Berry say, ‘Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-antoni/i-say-man-you-best-behave-youself-this-time-cause-we-ain-t-never/) [Robert Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-antoni/) > [“The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/the-war-that-killed-my-grandfather-and-great-uncles-and-thousands-of/) [Cristina García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [I think being born in America and growing up exclusively within the American boundaries of race and race oppression is a very different experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-think-being-born-in-america-and-growing-up-exclusively-within-the/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [I want to give people a taste of the Caribbean, and show them the fun side of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/i-want-to-give-people-a-taste-of-the-caribbean-and-show-them-the-fun/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [The Stroke Association has produced leaflets that set out clearly the health risks associated with stroke that African-Caribbean people face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linford-christie/the-stroke-association-has-produced-leaflets-that-set-out-clearly-the/) [Linford Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linford-christie/) > [Through it all, this wild life on and off the road , through Jordanian deserts , Spanish islands, German prisons, Caribbean tax scams, halls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-burdon/through-it-all-this-wild-life-on-and-off-the-road-through-jordanian/) [Eric Burdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-burdon/) > [“As human beings we’ve certainly suffered the loss of awe, the loss of sacredness, and the loss of the fact that we’re not here—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/as-human-beings-we-ve-certainly-suffered-the-loss-of-awe-the-loss-of/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [I have a brother who's six years older than me and we only ever watched stuff that he wanted to watch - 'Lord of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-vellani/i-have-a-brother-who-s-six-years-older-than-me-and-we-only-ever/) [Iman Vellani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-vellani/) > [My favourite types of cuisine are Asian and Caribbean, and I love cooking new recipes for my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jourdan-dunn/my-favourite-types-of-cuisine-are-asian-and-caribbean-and-i-love/) [Jourdan Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jourdan-dunn/) > [Every time you hear anyone talk about the Caribbean, whether it's Caribbeans themselves or people outside, there's always talk about women's bodies. Talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/every-time-you-hear-anyone-talk-about-the-caribbean-whether-it-s/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I have wrestled gators in Florida. I have sailed the ocean with Ted Turner. I have swam the oceans in the Caribbean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-have-wrestled-gators-in-florida-i-have-sailed-the-ocean-with-ted/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [In the world outside this glass room, songbirds are feeding and resting in the trees. Some will take off tonight and not land until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/in-the-world-outside-this-glass-room-songbirds-are-feeding-and/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [“The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-wouk/the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-to-change-but-he-is-not-much/) [Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/) > [At 16, I started a web development business and had clients from the Netherlands, Caribbean, and across the country - none of whom knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/at-16-i-started-a-web-development-business-and-had-clients-from-the/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) [Browse all 242 Caribbean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caribbean/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the Caribbean. It wouldn't come up because anybody could marry anybody, you know. I'm not saying that there aren't prejudices in the Caribbean, but the idea of the word 'miscegenation' is not something that we think of.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Derek Walcott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-would-have-in-the-caribbean-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caribbean" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-would-have-in-the-caribbean-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/derek-walcott-2220_caribbean_miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-wou_1110307.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Miscegenation is not an idea that we would have in the Caribbean. It wouldn't come up because anybody could…” — Derek Walcott", "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": "Derek Walcott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Miscegenation is not an idea that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-would-have-in-the-caribbean-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/miscegenation-is-not-an-idea-that-we-would-have-in-the-caribbean-it/#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 } } ] } ```