--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Color is not a human or a personal…" description: "\"Color is not a human or a personal reality it is a political reality.\" — James A. Baldwin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-a-baldwin-2080_color_color-is-not-a-human-or-a-personal-reali_2753811.jpg" --- # Color is not a human or a personal reality it is a… ![“Color is not a human or a personal reality it is a political reality.” quote by James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-a-baldwin-2080_color_color-is-not-a-human-or-a-personal-reali_2753811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-a-baldwin-2080_color_color-is-not-a-human-or-a-personal-reali_2753811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-a-baldwin-2080_color_color-is-not-a-human-or-a-personal-reali_2753811.jpg) > “Color is not a human or a personal reality it is a political reality.” [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Color shapes social structures and power dynamics, not just personal perception. **In simple terms:** Color influences politics, not just personal. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge racial power structures. Themes race politics identity Mood reflective critical Type analytical social commentary When to use this quote - education - policy making - community organizing - media representation Key Concepts social construct power relations Questions to Reflect On - How does color affect your daily decisions? - What policies reinforce color hierarchies? A Different Perspective It may overlook individual experiences of color. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [“The human mind gives color to the Earth's mind; the Earth's mind gives color to the human mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/the-human-mind-gives-color-to-the-earth-s-mind-the-earth-s-mind-gives/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [No circumstance in the natural world is more inexplicable than the diversity of form and color in the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-somerville/no-circumstance-in-the-natural-world-is-more-inexplicable-than-the/) [Mary Somerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-somerville/) > [You have to deal with the reality that in the political process, people are going to vote based on what they're hearing from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/you-have-to-deal-with-the-reality-that-in-the-political-process/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I am afraid that I think both the near future environmental reality and political landscape are not looking good - and they are connected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leonard/i-am-afraid-that-i-think-both-the-near-future-environmental-reality/) [Annie Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leonard/) > [“A lot of people cannot stand alternative facts or opinions about long standing political patterns, so I avoid the emotionally driven noise and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduvie-donald/a-lot-of-people-cannot-stand-alternative-facts-or-opinions-about-long/) [Eduvie Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduvie-donald/) > [Nothing becomes reality in the political life of a nation that was not present in its literature as spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-von-hofmannsthal/nothing-becomes-reality-in-the-political-life-of-a-nation-that-was/) [Hugo von Hofmannsthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-von-hofmannsthal/) > [But veteran lawmakers torn apart by PTSD don't have a choice about being Exhibit A in the case against Washington politics. When you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/but-veteran-lawmakers-torn-apart-by-ptsd-don-t-have-a-choice-about/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [There's a certain advantage to living in a small country like Guatemala, I think. You don't feel so distant from political reality there. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/there-s-a-certain-advantage-to-living-in-a-small-country-like/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [There are realities that one needs to deal with, but very often what we are told is political reality is merely cynicism. One could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payam-akhavan/there-are-realities-that-one-needs-to-deal-with-but-very-often-what/) [Payam Akhavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payam-akhavan/) > [“There’s a curious courage to them both: they believe in a political reality which is utterly terrifying, and they’re fighting it. Joe is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/there-s-a-curious-courage-to-them-both-they-believe-in-a-political/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [A writer must face up to the test of reality, including political reality, and that can't be done if he keeps his distance. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/a-writer-must-face-up-to-the-test-of-reality-including-political/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [That was the political reality of 1987: Saxophones made you cool. That's real! That really happened in our society!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-miller/that-was-the-political-reality-of-1987-saxophones-made-you-cool-that/) [Christopher Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-miller/) > [“The 'smoke-filled room' as political reality is now as dead as Prohibition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-h-white/the-smoke-filled-room-as-political-reality-is-now-as-dead-as/) [Theodore H. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-h-white/) > [I think the political reality for the Democratic Party is, you know, there are two sides. There's one side saying that we weren't liberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/i-think-the-political-reality-for-the-democratic-party-is-you-know/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [At 19, I basically held the position that if you were intellectually honest and really wanted to get in touch with political reality then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-metzinger/at-19-i-basically-held-the-position-that-if-you-were-intellectually/) [Thomas Metzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-metzinger/) ## More by James A. Baldwin > [One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/one-cannot-deny-the-humanity-of-another-without-diminishing-one-s-own/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/all-i-know-about-music-is-that-not-many-people-ever-really-hear-it/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [I've always believed that you can think positive just as well as you can think negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/i-ve-always-believed-that-you-can-think-positive-just-as-well-as-you/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/the-white-man-discovered-the-cross-by-way-of-the-bible-but-the-black/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [The American ideal of sexuality appears to be rooted in the American ideal of masculinity. This idea has created cowboys and Indians, good guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/the-american-ideal-of-sexuality-appears-to-be-rooted-in-the-american/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [Voyagers discover that the world can never be larger than the person that is in the world; but it is impossible to foresee this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/voyagers-discover-that-the-world-can-never-be-larger-than-the-person/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [We take our shape, it is true, within and against that cage of reality bequeathed us at our birth; and yet it is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/we-take-our-shape-it-is-true-within-and-against-that-cage-of-reality/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [The American ideal is, after all, that everyone should be as much alike as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/the-american-ideal-is-after-all-that-everyone-should-be-as-much-alike/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [James Joyce is right about history being a nightmare-- but it may be that nightmare from which no one can awaken. People are trapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/james-joyce-is-right-about-history-being-a-nightmare-but-it-may-be/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [I think Americans are terrified of feeling anything. I never met a people more infantile in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/i-think-americans-are-terrified-of-feeling-anything-i-never-met-a/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [Unless a writer is extremely old when he dies, in which case he has probably become a neglected institution, his death must always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/unless-a-writer-is-extremely-old-when-he-dies-in-which-case-he-has/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [An identity is questioned only when it is menaced, as when the mighty begin to fall, or when the wretched begin to rise, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/an-identity-is-questioned-only-when-it-is-menaced-as-when-the-mighty/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [White people will have quite enough to do in learning how to accept and love themselves and each other, and when they have achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/white-people-will-have-quite-enough-to-do-in-learning-how-to-accept/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [A devotion to humanity is... too easily equated with a devotion to a Cause, and Causes, as we know, are notoriously bloodthirsty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/a-devotion-to-humanity-is-too-easily-equated-with-a-devotion-to-a/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [Most people... find a disorientating mismatch between the long-term nature of their liabilities and the increasingly short-term nature of their assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/most-people-find-a-disorientating-mismatch-between-the-long-term/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) [Explore all 187 James A. Baldwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) ## More Color quotes > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [Orange is my favorite color overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/orange-is-my-favorite-color-overall/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) [Browse all 5,594 Color quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Color is not a human or a personal reality it is a political reality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James A. 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