--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't have a high school diploma? You're…" description: "\"Don't have a high school diploma? You're in my Cabinet. Why? For 200 years, a lot of Cabinets have existed in our government. Powerful men. Well-educat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/dick-gregory-3266_cabinet_don-t-have-a-high-school-diploma-you-re_2659248.jpg" --- # Don't have a high school diploma? You're in my Cabinet… ![“Don't have a high school diploma? You're in my Cabinet. Why? For 200 years, a lot of Cabinets have existed in our government. Powerful men. Well-educated. So let's try something totally new.” quote by Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/dick-gregory-3266_cabinet_don-t-have-a-high-school-diploma-you-re_2659248.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/dick-gregory-3266_cabinet_don-t-have-a-high-school-diploma-you-re_2659248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/dick-gregory-3266_cabinet_don-t-have-a-high-school-diploma-you-re_2659248.jpg) > “Don't have a high school diploma? You're in my Cabinet. Why? For 200 years, a lot of Cabinets have existed in our government. Powerful men. Well-educated. So let's try something totally new.” [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) ## 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 challenges conventional qualifications, suggesting that leadership can come from unexpected backgrounds and that fresh perspectives are valuable. **In simple terms:** Leadership can arise from anyone, not just the traditionally educated. Key Takeaway Embrace unconventional leaders. Themes inclusion leadership diversity Mood provocative inspirational Type political motivational When to use this quote - government appointments - community organizing - education reform - career advancement Key Concepts political theory social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions value experience over formal education? - What biases limit unconventional leaders? A Different Perspective Traditional credentials still dominate many elite circles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diploma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diploma/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Graduation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [High school diploma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school-diploma/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Powerful man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-man/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [ Men educated in \[the critical habit of thought\]are slow to believe. They can hold things as possible or probable in all degrees, without certainty… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/men-educated-in-the-critical-habit-of-thought-are-slow-to-believe/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [Women, like men, must be educated with a view to action, or their studies cannot be called education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/women-like-men-must-be-educated-with-a-view-to-action-or-their/) [Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/) > [The great trouble with most men is that those who have been educated become uneducated just as soon as they stop inquiring and investigating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-great-trouble-with-most-men-is-that-those-who-have-been-educated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The critical habit of thought, if usual in society, will pervade all its mores, because it is a way of taking up the problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-critical-habit-of-thought-if-usual-in-society-will-pervade-all/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/men-may-be-spoiled-by-education-even-as-they-are-spoiled-by/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [Competence in heterosexuality, or at least the appearance or pretense of such competence, is as much a public affair as a privateone. Thus, going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/competence-in-heterosexuality-or-at-least-the-appearance-or-pretense/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-also-make-sure-that-a-high-school-diploma-puts-our-kids-on-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Before I got Doctor Who, I went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. I went back to take the final grade exam,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sutton/before-i-got-doctor-who-i-went-to-the-guildhall-school-of-music-and/) [Sarah Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sutton/) > [The way my brain processes information is quite odd. I mean, I have Attention Deficit Disorder and another learning disability I can't even spell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/the-way-my-brain-processes-information-is-quite-odd-i-mean-i-have/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [I'll show you Obama's birth certificate when you show me Sarah Palin's high school diploma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-ll-show-you-obama-s-birth-certificate-when-you-show-me-sarah-palin/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/you-can-t-cross-a-chasm-in-two-small-jumps/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Most of my friends from Columbia are going on to get advanced degrees. And why not? A Ph.D. is the new M.A., a master's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/most-of-my-friends-from-columbia-are-going-on-to-get-advanced-degrees/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [It's amnesty that America can't afford. We have to stop people from coming in illegally. This will be a green light for anyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barletta/it-s-amnesty-that-america-can-t-afford-we-have-to-stop-people-from/) [Lou Barletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barletta/) > [Cities are broke, there are no jobs, people without a high school diploma and sometimes even with a college degree can't get jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cities-are-broke-there-are-no-jobs-people-without-a-high-school/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs. That means they require more education that a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/most-green-collar-jobs-are-middle-skill-jobs-that-means-they-require/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## More by Dick Gregory > [My belief is, you know, certain things have to be explained that's never been explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/my-belief-is-you-know-certain-things-have-to-be-explained-that-s/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [You hear entertainers all the time, saying, 'If I couldn't get paid for this, I'd do it for free.' When's the last time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/you-hear-entertainers-all-the-time-saying-if-i-couldn-t-get-paid-for/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [What price would God demand from the churches for having the audacity to lighten the color of his son's skin, and straighten out his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/what-price-would-god-demand-from-the-churches-for-having-the-audacity/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i-get-so-long-as-i-don-t-get/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Eating liver out of a cow's body is like eating the filter out of a car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/eating-liver-out-of-a-cow-s-body-is-like-eating-the-filter-out-of-a/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-never-learned-hate-at-home-or-shame-i-had-to-go-to-school-for-that/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I am one of the funniest people on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-am-one-of-the-funniest-people-on-the-planet/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“Dear Momma―Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/dear-momma-wherever-you-are-if-ever-you-hear-the-word-nigger-again/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [The NAACP is a wonderful organization . . . But do you realize if tomorrow morning we had complete integration, all them cats would be outta work?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/the-naacp-is-a-wonderful-organization-but-do-you-realize-if-tomorrow/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Fear and God do not occupy the same space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/fear-and-god-do-not-occupy-the-same-space/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I used to get letters saying, 'I didn't know black children and white children were the same.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-used-to-get-letters-saying-i-didn-t-know-black-children-and-white/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [People keep telling me about the white race and the black race - and it really doesn't make sense. I played Miami, met a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/people-keep-telling-me-about-the-white-race-and-the-black-race-and-it/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [If I had to write down the most important people in the history of this planet, No.1 would be (abolitionist) John Brown. Why? Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/if-i-had-to-write-down-the-most-important-people-in-the-history-of/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said: 'We don't serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/last-time-i-was-down-south-i-walked-into-this-restaurant-and-this/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Once we used to have to crank up our cars, now you can pop it on from inside your house. Everything has changed except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/once-we-used-to-have-to-crank-up-our-cars-now-you-can-pop-it-on-from/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) [Explore all 135 Dick Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) ## More Cabinet quotes > [I'm the type of bloke who gets a flatpack cabinet from Ikea, puts it together without reading the instructions, then gets the drill out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/i-m-the-type-of-bloke-who-gets-a-flatpack-cabinet-from-ikea-puts-it/) [John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/) > [Unlike the Obama Cabinet, the Trump Cabinet is not comprised of do-nothing bureaucrats, who worked their way up the twisted, scheme-ridden Washington ladder; rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/unlike-the-obama-cabinet-the-trump-cabinet-is-not-comprised-of-do/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [No matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/no-matter-what-time-it-is-wake-me-even-if-it-s-in-the-middle-of-a/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [There are 14 Cabinet spots, and God only knows how many hundreds of people want them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-daley/there-are-14-cabinet-spots-and-god-only-knows-how-many-hundreds-of/) [William M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-daley/) > [Nobody wants me as a Cabinet Minister and they are perfectly right. I am an agitator, not an administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-astor/nobody-wants-me-as-a-cabinet-minister-and-they-are-perfectly-right-i/) [Nancy Astor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-astor/) > [Every cabinet minister gets a mission statement from the Prime Minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/every-cabinet-minister-gets-a-mission-statement-from-the-prime/) [Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/) > [First of all, Donald Trump cabinet or - I call it the 3-G cabinet, Goldman, generals and gazillionaires. And I think it's one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/first-of-all-donald-trump-cabinet-or-i-call-it-the-3-g-cabinet/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [A man who is ill-adjusted to the world is always on the verge of finding himself. One who is adjusted to the world never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-man-who-is-ill-adjusted-to-the-world-is-always-on-the-verge-of/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The 'OK Plateau' is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/the-ok-plateau-is-that-place-we-all-get-to-where-we-just-stop-getting/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [For a time during the 1980s the Royal Family were not just the most influential family in Britain but probably in Europe and Prince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-morton/for-a-time-during-the-1980s-the-royal-family-were-not-just-the-most/) [Andrew Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-morton/) > [I would not have imagined being asked to be Secretary of State, it was a great honor to serve with President Obama in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-would-not-have-imagined-being-asked-to-be-secretary-of-state-it-was/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I believe you need to have a serious and credible shadow cabinet with people who are prepared to take on the very difficult issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kendall/i-believe-you-need-to-have-a-serious-and-credible-shadow-cabinet-with/) [Liz Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kendall/) > [I'm working on restoring a cabinet over the obstruction of Senate Democrats. It will be one of the great cabinets ever assembled in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-working-on-restoring-a-cabinet-over-the-obstruction-of-senate/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I would love to get a Moonman! I'd put it next to my other awards. I don't have a cabinet right now; they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/i-would-love-to-get-a-moonman-i-d-put-it-next-to-my-other-awards-i/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [ If you saw General \[James\] Mattis and General \[John\] Kelly and Senator \[Jeff\] Sessions and Mr.\[Rex\] Tillerson and Congressman \[Mike\] Pompeo testify, you thought,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-chaffetz/if-you-saw-general-james-mattis-and-general-john-kelly-and-senator/) [Jason Chaffetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-chaffetz/) Browse all 115 Cabinet quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't have a high school diploma? You're in my Cabinet. Why? For 200 years, a lot of Cabinets have existed in our government. Powerful men. Well-educated. 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