--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A life is black, whiten it as you will." description: "\"A life is black, whiten it as you will.\" — Edwin Hubbel Chapin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png" --- # A life is black, whiten it as you will. ![“A life is black, whiten it as you will.” quote by Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png) > “A life is black, whiten it as you will.” [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life can be painted any color; personal choice defines its tone. **In simple terms:** You can color your life. Key Takeaway Choose your perspective. Themes choice perception life Mood introspective hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily decisions - artistic expression Key Concepts philosophy personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What colors do you choose for your life? - How does mindset affect outcomes? A Different Perspective External circumstances may limit choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Whiten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-whiten-4282579/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-black-1310049/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life Is Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-black/) [Whiten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whiten-4282580/) ## Related quotes > [Life is black and white. You don't know what's good for you, because you don't see the black and white! You don't see where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjoybell-c/life-is-black-and-white-you-don-t-know-what-s-good-for-you-because/) [CJoybell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjoybell-c/) > [Thornes whiten yet doe nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/thornes-whiten-yet-doe-nothing/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Death may whiten in sun or out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/death-may-whiten-in-sun-or-out-of-it/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [That's why for Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society the colors are black and white. There are no gray issues. Life is black and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakk-wylde/that-s-why-for-zakk-wylde-s-black-label-society-the-colors-are-black/) [Zakk Wylde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zakk-wylde/) > [Crimson flames tied through my ears Rollin' high and mighty traps Pounced with fire on flaming roads Using ideas as my maps "We'll meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/crimson-flames-tied-through-my-ears-rollin-high-and-mighty-traps/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“Not everything in life is black and white. Sometimes the best parts are gray. Just remember that not everything can fit into one your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-rose-ivy/not-everything-in-life-is-black-and-white-sometimes-the-best-parts/) [Alyssa Rose Ivy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-rose-ivy/) > [“Being born is a burst of colors...and living life without LIFE is black and white. Expectations are everything, life is absolute. Dreaming is life's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-martinez/being-born-is-a-burst-of-colors-and-living-life-without-life-is-black/) [Santiago Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-martinez/) > [“Loo, life is black and white. You don't know what's good for you, because you don't see the black and white! You don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/loo-life-is-black-and-white-you-don-t-know-what-s-good-for-you/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [It is not that Shakespeare's art is in technicolor and fancy, and that real life is black and white and tedious. The life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/it-is-not-that-shakespeare-s-art-is-in-technicolor-and-fancy-and-that/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [“The stream of life is black and angry; how so many of us get across without drowning, I often wonder. The best way is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sheridan-le-fanu/the-stream-of-life-is-black-and-angry-how-so-many-of-us-get-across/) [Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sheridan-le-fanu/) > [My life is black and white and mixed. My mother's a Rastafarian, my dad was a short white guy - it's not an affectation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/my-life-is-black-and-white-and-mixed-my-mother-s-a-rastafarian-my-dad/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [In real life there are indeed black people who have been in the middle class for generations, but in entertainment it's as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-real-life-there-are-indeed-black-people-who-have-been-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without music, my life would be black and white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/without-music-my-life-would-be-black-and-white/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [I like to describe my life as a black hole with a little light out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/i-like-to-describe-my-life-as-a-black-hole-with-a-little-light-out/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [“I wear this because it suits me, it’s a part of who I am, of what I am. My soul is black, my life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-dean/i-wear-this-because-it-suits-me-it-s-a-part-of-who-i-am-of-what-i-am/) [Taylor Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-dean/) ## More by Edwin Hubbel Chapin > [In the history of man it has been very generally the case that when evils have grown insufferable they have touched the point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/in-the-history-of-man-it-has-been-very-generally-the-case-that-when/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-whether-in-this-world-or-any-other-is-the-sum-of-our-attainment/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Our life is what we make it. An insignificant game or a noble trial; a dream or a reality; a play of the senses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/our-life-is-what-we-make-it-an-insignificant-game-or-a-noble-trial-a/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Setting is preliminary to brighter rising; decay is a process of advancement; death is the condition of higher and more fruitful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/setting-is-preliminary-to-brighter-rising-decay-is-a-process-of/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Life itself suggests a higher good than life itself can yield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-itself-suggests-a-higher-good-than-life-itself-can-yield/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-true-man-never-frets-about-his-place-in-the-world-but-just-slides/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [There is but a slight difference between the man who may be said to know nothing and him who thinks he knows everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/there-is-but-a-slight-difference-between-the-man-who-may-be-said-to/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [The bosom can ache beneath diamond brooches; and many a blithe heart dances under coarse wool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/the-bosom-can-ache-beneath-diamond-brooches-and-many-a-blithe-heart/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Can you conceive of anything that so represents the glory, and truth, and marvelousness of God's nature as the idea of peace?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/can-you-conceive-of-anything-that-so-represents-the-glory-and-truth/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [The gospel has but a forced alliance with war. Its doctrine of human brotherhood would ring strangely between the opposed ranks. The bellowing speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/the-gospel-has-but-a-forced-alliance-with-war-its-doctrine-of-human/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-language-can-express-the-power-and-beauty-and-heroism-and-majesty/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [It is not enjoined upon us to forget, but we are told to forgive, our enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/it-is-not-enjoined-upon-us-to-forget-but-we-are-told-to-forgive-our/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Think for a moment of the great agents and engines of our civilization, and then think what shadowy ideas they all once were. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/think-for-a-moment-of-the-great-agents-and-engines-of-our/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [There is a sweet anguish springing up in our bosoms when a child's face brightens under the shadow of the waiting angel. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/there-is-a-sweet-anguish-springing-up-in-our-bosoms-when-a-child-s/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Explore all 219 Edwin Hubbel Chapin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A life is black, whiten it as you will.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edwin Hubbel Chapin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/edwin-hubbel-chapin-1652_black_a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will-29_2925041.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A life is black, whiten it as you will.” — Edwin Hubbel Chapin", "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": "Edwin Hubbel Chapin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A life is black, whiten it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-life-is-black-whiten-it-as-you-will/#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 } } ] } ```