--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Racism is not real, it's made up, it's…" description: "\"Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be stopped.\" — Gloria Steinem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg" --- # Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be… ![“Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be stopped.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg) > “Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be stopped.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Racism is a socially constructed system that causes harm but can be dismantled through collective effort. **In simple terms:** Racism is a harmful construct that can be stopped. Key Takeaway Work to end racism. Themes social justice human rights equality Mood determined hopeful Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - workplace policies - education curricula - community organizing - legislative reform Key Concepts systemic oppression social construction activism Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take locally? - How do we measure progress? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched biases is difficult and requires sustained commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) [Cruel Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-stopped-5709628/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-real-906097/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-cruel-5709629/) [Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped/) ## Related quotes > [Racism is real; it exists here and now. You can find it on the streets, in your office, and in football stadiums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/racism-is-real-it-exists-here-and-now-you-can-find-it-on-the-streets/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [It doesn't even feel like racism is real. It just feels like the weirdest ploy, like we're just being had on so many levels.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thundercat/it-doesn-t-even-feel-like-racism-is-real-it-just-feels-like-the/) [Thundercat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thundercat/) > [Racism is real in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/racism-is-real-in-this-country/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [I do believe systemic racism is real. It's one of the main reasons I'm running for Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-stanton-king/i-do-believe-systemic-racism-is-real-it-s-one-of-the-main-reasons-i-m/) [Angela Stanton-King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-stanton-king/) > [Anti-Asian racism is very real, and it will not be solved with an opulent rom-com or Marvel superhero, but with you - the bystanders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simu-liu/anti-asian-racism-is-very-real-and-it-will-not-be-solved-with-an/) [Simu Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simu-liu/) > [I think some people feel that if you question the reality of race, you're questioning racism; you're saying racism isn't real. Racism is real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/i-think-some-people-feel-that-if-you-question-the-reality-of-race-you/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) > [I'd hasten to say that the prejudice in Dust City isn't completely analogous to racism in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-paul-weston/i-d-hasten-to-say-that-the-prejudice-in-dust-city-isn-t-completely/) [Robert Paul Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-paul-weston/) > [I don't think every offensive comment is racism. But when I see real prejudice I have to call it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/i-don-t-think-every-offensive-comment-is-racism-but-when-i-see-real/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) > [Games don't cause racism. But the real-time chat makes nasty comments hard to moderate and easy to spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/games-don-t-cause-racism-but-the-real-time-chat-makes-nasty-comments/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [The electoral system is not where change starts - it usually starts in communities and from the bottom up - but it is where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-electoral-system-is-not-where-change-starts-it-usually-starts-in/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I have stopped thinking too much. It all started against West Indies. I told myself that I want to enjoy my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shreyas-iyer/i-have-stopped-thinking-too-much-it-all-started-against-west-indies-i/) [Shreyas Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shreyas-iyer/) > [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/) [Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/) > [The moment I met you I stopped existing and started living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-moment-i-met-you-i-stopped-existing-and-started-living/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But for Ricky,Andrew,Mary & me the world stopped when those dogs entered the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-carlos-montalv-n/but-for-ricky-andrew-mary-me-the-world-stopped-when-those-dogs/) [Luis Carlos Montalván](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-carlos-montalv-n/) > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) [Katie D. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-d-anderson/) > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be stopped.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cruel-it-can-be-stopped/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cruel-it-can-be-stopped/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/gloria-steinem-277_cruel_racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cru_3160356.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Racism is not real, it's made up, it's cruel, it can be stopped.” — Gloria Steinem", "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": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Racism is not real, it's made...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cruel-it-can-be-stopped/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/racism-is-not-real-it-s-made-up-it-s-cruel-it-can-be-stopped/#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 } } ] } ```