--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was born and raised in St. Louis, and…" description: "\"I was born and raised in St. Louis, and this little town, eight blocks away, place no one ever heard of, a black man there commands the attention of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/dick-gregory-3266_attention_i-was-born-and-raised-in-st-louis-and-th_1606954.jpg" --- # I was born and raised in St. Louis, and this little town… ![“I was born and raised in St. Louis, and this little town, eight blocks away, place no one ever heard of, a black man there commands the attention of the world for months? That ain't my world.” quote by Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/dick-gregory-3266_attention_i-was-born-and-raised-in-st-louis-and-th_1606954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/dick-gregory-3266_attention_i-was-born-and-raised-in-st-louis-and-th_1606954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/dick-gregory-3266_attention_i-was-born-and-raised-in-st-louis-and-th_1606954.jpg) > “I was born and raised in St. Louis, and this little town, eight blocks away, place no one ever heard of, a black man there commands the attention of the world for months? That ain't my world.” [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. A personal reflection on feeling disconnected from a distant, sensational story that dominates public attention. **In simple terms:** Feeling out of place regarding a far‑away event. Key Takeaway Recognize your own world, not just headlines. Themes identity media disconnection race attention Mood reflective critical Type personal social commentary When to use this quote - community life - media coverage - racial dynamics - personal identity Key Concepts personal narrative social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grounded when media amplifies distant events? - What role does place play in shaping identity? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize personal experience as universal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-man/) [Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/block/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born and raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-and-raised/) [Born Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-raised/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Heard Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard-black-3019060/) [Little town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-town/) [Little towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-towns/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raised/) [St Louis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/st-louis-472445/) [Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towns/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I might go to some tiny little town in Idaho with, like, three people living there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-might-go-to-some-tiny-little-town-in-idaho-with-like-three-people/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [This is a dream as old as America itself: give me a piece of land to call my own, a little town where everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-popcorn/this-is-a-dream-as-old-as-america-itself-give-me-a-piece-of-land-to/) [Faith Popcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-popcorn/) > [Where I'm from? A little town called none of yo god damn business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/where-i-m-from-a-little-town-called-none-of-yo-god-damn-business/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [There is a strange depression that hangs over every little town that is no longer in the mainstream of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-craven/there-is-a-strange-depression-that-hangs-over-every-little-town-that/) [Margaret Craven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-craven/) > [Nice little town, Albany. They've got a State Capitol there, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-bellamy/nice-little-town-albany-they-ve-got-a-state-capitol-there-you-know/) [Ralph Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-bellamy/) > [There isn't much to be seen in a little town, but what you hear makes up for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/there-isn-t-much-to-be-seen-in-a-little-town-but-what-you-hear-makes/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [0 little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/0-little-town-of-bethlehem-how-still-we-see-thee-lie-above-thy-deep/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [A little town is like a lantern. Nothing's hid from sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/a-little-town-is-like-a-lantern-nothing-s-hid-from-sight/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [It was unlikely that anyone had ever heard a black person sing country music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/it-was-unlikely-that-anyone-had-ever-heard-a-black-person-sing/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [“Have you ever heard of the Black Lily?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-cross/have-you-ever-heard-of-the-black-lily/) [Juliette Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-cross/) > [“have you ever heard a black woman weep over her skinmurdered child. it is the splitting of atoms. it is billions of voices screaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayyirah-waheed/have-you-ever-heard-a-black-woman-weep-over-her-skinmurdered-child-it/) [Nayyirah Waheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayyirah-waheed/) > [I'm with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field … They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-m-with-the-blacks-because-we-re-white-trash-we-re-going-across-the/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [The only thing I like about St. Louis is it has the best zoo in America, in Forest Park. Washington University is next door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/the-only-thing-i-like-about-st-louis-is-it-has-the-best-zoo-in/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [The only person on the planet saying derogatory things about his woman is the black man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/the-only-person-on-the-planet-saying-derogatory-things-about-his/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“On the opposite side, at about seven o’clock, is the little town of Urbanna where the famous Oyster Festival is held every year.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-the-opposite-side-at-about-seven-o-clock-is-the-little-town-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was born and raised in St. Louis, and this little town, eight blocks away, place no one ever heard of, a black man there commands the attention of the world for months? 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