--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were some things in my childhood I…" description: "\"There were some things in my childhood I thought we'd put to sleep. The idea of one race's supremacy over another. I thought the issue of colour would ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/gregory-porter-10292_childhood_there-were-some-things-in-my-childhood-i_2722084.jpg" --- # There were some things in my childhood I thought we'd put… ![“There were some things in my childhood I thought we'd put to sleep. The idea of one race's supremacy over another. I thought the issue of colour would be put to sleep by the time I had a son. And that's maybe why I had a kid so late.” quote by Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/gregory-porter-10292_childhood_there-were-some-things-in-my-childhood-i_2722084.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/gregory-porter-10292_childhood_there-were-some-things-in-my-childhood-i_2722084.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/gregory-porter-10292_childhood_there-were-some-things-in-my-childhood-i_2722084.jpg) > “There were some things in my childhood I thought we'd put to sleep. The idea of one race's supremacy over another. I thought the issue of colour would be put to sleep by the time I had a son. And that's maybe why I had a kid so late.” [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) ## 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 reflects on childhood hopes that societal racism would fade, noting personal timing of parenthood as a response to lingering concerns about racial equality. **In simple terms:** He hoped racism would disappear, influencing when he became a parent. Key Takeaway Acknowledge progress, stay vigilant. Themes racism parenthood social change Mood thoughtful concerned Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - family planning - activism - education - community dialogue Key Concepts sociology generational trauma Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take to address lingering racism? - How does timing of parenthood reflect societal concerns? A Different Perspective Optimism may overlook systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-thought-769893/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Colour Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour-sleep-2889300/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Things Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-childhood-901833/) [Thought Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-sleep-524288/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [You know, as an only child, you're kind of in a bubble, and there are all sorts of things about my childhood that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-as-an-only-child-you-re-kind-of-in-a-bubble-and-there-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [From the beginning of time, in childhood, I thought that pain meant I was not loved. 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I thought everybody who is famous has to have a desperate childhood and work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomie-depaola/i-remember-feeling-guilty-that-i-had-a-good-childhood-i-thought/) [Tomie dePaola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomie-depaola/) > [“In a moment he saw by the light of the gas that the child was still there. “God be praised!” said he, and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/in-a-moment-he-saw-by-the-light-of-the-gas-that-the-child-was-still/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [In a way, you normalize your own childhood to yourself, so I never thought about how much I wrote as a kid. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/in-a-way-you-normalize-your-own-childhood-to-yourself-so-i-never/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I hated the company of other children. I wanted to be a grownup person, to be taken seriously. 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Sleep was just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/i-used-to-exist-on-just-two-or-three-hours-of-sleep-no-problem-like/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [Sometimes he did not know if he slept or just thought about sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/sometimes-he-did-not-know-if-he-slept-or-just-thought-about-sleep/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [“I regained my couch, but never thought of sleep. Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea, where billows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-regained-my-couch-but-never-thought-of-sleep-till-morning-dawned-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I've always thought sleep was a wonderful invention. Not that being awake isn't nice too, of course. But when I get up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-ve-always-thought-sleep-was-a-wonderful-invention-not-that-being/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [Didn't we, like our grandchildren, begin with a childhood we thought would never end? Now, all of a sudden, I'm older than my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/didn-t-we-like-our-grandchildren-begin-with-a-childhood-we-thought/) [Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/) > [“You are my first thought in the morning, and my last thought before I go to sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/you-are-my-first-thought-in-the-morning-and-my-last-thought-before-i/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) ## More by Gregory Porter > [Sometimes I'll be in circles, and I'll say I'm a jazz singer, and they have no idea what that means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/sometimes-i-ll-be-in-circles-and-i-ll-say-i-m-a-jazz-singer-and-they/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [Because I am away so much, I try to establish home in people, rather than places. For example, wherever I get together with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/because-i-am-away-so-much-i-try-to-establish-home-in-people-rather/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [Nat King Cole's lyrics were speaking to me, almost like fatherly advice, when I was listening to him alongside the console stereo player. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/nat-king-cole-s-lyrics-were-speaking-to-me-almost-like-fatherly/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [The songs I write and the way I see the world have been affected a certain amount since I became a father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/the-songs-i-write-and-the-way-i-see-the-world-have-been-affected-a/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [My mother gave me the courage to pursue music as a career on her deathbed. She became very ill when I was 21. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/my-mother-gave-me-the-courage-to-pursue-music-as-a-career-on-her/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [I like to absorb the atmosphere and explore wherever I'm working or visiting, so I can't say there's any type of place I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/i-like-to-absorb-the-atmosphere-and-explore-wherever-i-m-working-or/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [It's been some surreal moments, you know from performing at Buckingham Palace to having dinner with Stevie Wonder, it's been an amazing ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/it-s-been-some-surreal-moments-you-know-from-performing-at-buckingham/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [You know Bakersfield was full of workers from the south, from Texas and Arkansas, and they brought their gospel and blues with them. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/you-know-bakersfield-was-full-of-workers-from-the-south-from-texas/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [Writing from a personal experience can bring about this emotion and power of emotion that can be instantly connected to the instrument, my voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/writing-from-a-personal-experience-can-bring-about-this-emotion-and/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [How can you sing a line like, 'I've fallen out of love' when you're 18? You need to experience something of life before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/how-can-you-sing-a-line-like-i-ve-fallen-out-of-love-when-you-re-18/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [When there's an imbalance in terms of what people get to hear, then that's negative. Then blues, jazz, it will die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/when-there-s-an-imbalance-in-terms-of-what-people-get-to-hear-then/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [My part of Brooklyn has always been a very warm neighbourhood, even before I had anything going on in the music industry. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/my-part-of-brooklyn-has-always-been-a-very-warm-neighbourhood-even/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > ['Take Me to the Alley' is about trying to uplift the lives of people who have been afflicted, maybe the homeless or somebody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/take-me-to-the-alley-is-about-trying-to-uplift-the-lives-of-people/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [I can sing the blues and I have sung the blues. I feel it internally when I'm singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/i-can-sing-the-blues-and-i-have-sung-the-blues-i-feel-it-internally/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) > [I was quite shy as a child. My sisters were the gang leaders, my brothers were the enforcers and I was a tag-a-long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-porter/i-was-quite-shy-as-a-child-my-sisters-were-the-gang-leaders-my/) [Gregory Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) [Explore all 66 Gregory Porter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-porter/) ## More Childhood quotes > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. 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It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) [Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were some things in my childhood I thought we'd put to sleep. The idea of one race's supremacy over another. I thought the issue of colour would be put to sleep by the time I had a son. 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