--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There wasn't much white people would…" description: "\"There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in those days. You could be a schoolteacher or an athlete to get away from the manual labor and ser..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/hank-aaron-7857_athlete_there-wasn-t-much-white-people-would-all_2655242.jpg" --- # There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in… ![“There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in those days. You could be a schoolteacher or an athlete to get away from the manual labor and servant-type jobs, but there wasn't much else they were going to allow you [to] do.” quote by Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/hank-aaron-7857_athlete_there-wasn-t-much-white-people-would-all_2655242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/hank-aaron-7857_athlete_there-wasn-t-much-white-people-would-all_2655242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/hank-aaron-7857_athlete_there-wasn-t-much-white-people-would-all_2655242.jpg) > “There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in those days. You could be a schoolteacher or an athlete to get away from the manual labor and servant-type jobs, but there wasn't much else they were going to allow you \[to\] do.” [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes limited opportunities for Black people historically, restricted to certain professions. **In simple terms:** Black people had few job options then. Key Takeaway Advocate for broader opportunities. Themes racial inequality historical context career limits Mood thoughtful serious Type historical social When to use this quote - education reform - career counseling - policy change Key Concepts systemic racism social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How have opportunities changed since then? - What actions can expand options today? A Different Perspective Does not address individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Get away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-away/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Jobs Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs-wasn-1874226/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Labor Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-servant-2382293/) [Manual labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manual-labor/) [Manuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuals/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Wasn White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-white-1497191/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [Being on the run wasn't fun, but it was something I had to do. I was actually working in legitimate jobs. I wasn't living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/being-on-the-run-wasn-t-fun-but-it-was-something-i-had-to-do-i-was/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [Coming from a working-class background, where my father did manual labor, was a good grounding; I was obsessed with getting a job or getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-marr/coming-from-a-working-class-background-where-my-father-did-manual/) [Johnny Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-marr/) > [There are moments when art attains almost to the dignity of manual labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-are-moments-when-art-attains-almost-to-the-dignity-of-manual/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I thought Manual Labor was a Mexican golf pro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/i-thought-manual-labor-was-a-mexican-golf-pro/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [When we of the so-called better classes are scared as men were never scared in history at material ugliness and hardship; when we put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/when-we-of-the-so-called-better-classes-are-scared-as-men-were-never/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Any manual labor I've done was purely by mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-manual-labor-i-ve-done-was-purely-by-mistake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the Catholic Worker we must try to have the voluntary poverty of St. Francis, the charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maurin/in-the-catholic-worker-we-must-try-to-have-the-voluntary-poverty-of/) [Peter Maurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maurin/) > [Painting is manual labor, no different from any other; it can be done well or poorly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/painting-is-manual-labor-no-different-from-any-other-it-can-be-done/) [George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/) > [Whenever you see some business person quoted complaining about how he or she can't find workers with the necessary skills, ask what wage they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/whenever-you-see-some-business-person-quoted-complaining-about-how-he/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [Balance Sheets are meaningless. Our accounting systems are still based on the assumption that 80% of costs are manual labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/balance-sheets-are-meaningless-our-accounting-systems-are-still-based/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [At the classical origins of philosophic thought, the transcending concepts remained committed to the prevailing separation between intellectual and manual labor to the established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/at-the-classical-origins-of-philosophic-thought-the-transcending/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [As the only class distinction available in a democracy, the college degree has created a caste society as rigid as ancient India's. Condemning elitism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/as-the-only-class-distinction-available-in-a-democracy-the-college/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [I like manual labor. Whenever I've got waterlogged with study, I've taken a spell of it and found it spiritually invigorating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-like-manual-labor-whenever-i-ve-got-waterlogged-with-study-i-ve/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [We can't hire out our own inner work, but we can do the manual labor with delight and decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/we-can-t-hire-out-our-own-inner-work-but-we-can-do-the-manual-labor/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Syzygy, inexorable, pancreatic, phantasmagoria - anyone who can use those four words in one sentence will never have to do manual labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/syzygy-inexorable-pancreatic-phantasmagoria-anyone-who-can-use-those/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) ## More by Hank Aaron > [If I knew exactly what I know now and had it to do over, I'd be a switch hitter. No telling what I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/if-i-knew-exactly-what-i-know-now-and-had-it-to-do-over-i-d-be-a/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I think what separates a superstar from the average ballplayer is that he concentrates just a little bit longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-think-what-separates-a-superstar-from-the-average-ballplayer-is/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I've tried a lot of things in the off-season, but the only thing I really know is baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-ve-tried-a-lot-of-things-in-the-off-season-but-the-only-thing-i/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I had many, many, many death threats. I couldn't open letters for a long time, because they all had to be opened by either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-had-many-many-many-death-threats-i-couldn-t-open-letters-for-a-long/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Last year, I was sort of a kid and I was a little scared, I ain't scared any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/last-year-i-was-sort-of-a-kid-and-i-was-a-little-scared-i-ain-t/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I played sometimes about as dull as you can play it. I did things the right way, you know. I think I modeled my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-played-sometimes-about-as-dull-as-you-can-play-it-i-did-things-the/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I thought my chances to make the Braves were better and that they were being fairer to me, paying me more money to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-thought-my-chances-to-make-the-braves-were-better-and-that-they/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-bed-of-roses-all-your-life/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I tell young people - including my granddaughter - there is no shortcut in life. You have to take it one step at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-tell-young-people-including-my-granddaughter-there-is-no-shortcut/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [People were not ready to accept me as a baseball player. The easiest part of that whole thing, chasing the Babe's record, was playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/people-were-not-ready-to-accept-me-as-a-baseball-player-the-easiest/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Too bad integration didn't come sooner, because there were so many ballplayers that could have made the major leagues. That's why, you look back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/too-bad-integration-didn-t-come-sooner-because-there-were-so-many/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Failure is a part of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/failure-is-a-part-of-success/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [“The day I become content is the day I cease to be anything more than a man who hit home runs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/the-day-i-become-content-is-the-day-i-cease-to-be-anything-more-than/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [I don't see pitches down the middle anymore - not even in batting practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/i-don-t-see-pitches-down-the-middle-anymore-not-even-in-batting/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) > [Some people resented the fact I was trying to break a white man's record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-aaron/some-people-resented-the-fact-i-was-trying-to-break-a-white-man-s/) [Hank Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) [Explore all 86 Hank Aaron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-aaron/) ## More Athlete quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I have no physical genius about me. 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And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. 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Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) [Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in those days. 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