--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Colored or not, we all pick the white…" description: "\"“Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.”\" — James Lee Burke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png" --- # Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton. ![“Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.” quote by James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png) > ““Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.”” [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques racial exploitation, suggesting that even without color, people still select cotton produced by white labor. **In simple terms:** People still choose cotton made by white labor. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden racial biases. Themes racism history exploitation Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - fashion industry - global trade - historical analysis Key Concepts colonialism economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - How does this view apply to modern consumer choices? - What steps can reduce exploitative practices? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex trade dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cajun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cajun/) [Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cotton/) [Louisiana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louisiana/) [Man Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-cotton-2491007/) [Pick White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-white-2491005/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-man/) ## Related quotes > [“Colored or not, we all work for the white man's cotton...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke-red-cherry-blues/colored-or-not-we-all-work-for-the-white-man-s-cotton/) [James Lee Burke Red Cherry Blues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke-red-cherry-blues/) > [Cajun is country food by farmers and fisherman that arrived in Louisiana from Acadiana, Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/cajun-is-country-food-by-farmers-and-fisherman-that-arrived-in/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [“In Louisiana, one of the first stages of grief is eating your weight in Popeyes fried chicken. 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And yet I will not accept it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewey-balfa/my-culture-is-no-better-than-anybody-else-s-culture-my-people-were-no/) [Dewey Balfa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewey-balfa/) > [“Abandoned residential homes are common in the area—often the casualties of severe damage from hurricanes—but what I find fascinating is the mettle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-correll/abandoned-residential-homes-are-common-in-the-area-often-the/) [Mike Correll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-correll/) > [I'm from Louisiana, and that's where I got my start, in Cajun music. There's a huge music scene down there centered around our culture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/i-m-from-louisiana-and-that-s-where-i-got-my-start-in-cajun-music/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [“Too much Cajun in you, Brooke. Too much Louisiana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-dean/too-much-cajun-in-you-brooke-too-much-louisiana/) [Will Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-dean/) > [“But that’s Louisiana, lots of crazy Cajun stuff goes on over there. Who knows what they’re doing in those swamps!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-weinland-daughters/but-that-s-louisiana-lots-of-crazy-cajun-stuff-goes-on-over-there-who/) [Amy Weinland Daughters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-weinland-daughters/) > [“If anyone tells you he’s from New Orleans and doesn’t drink, he’s probably not from New Orleans. Louisiana is not a state; it’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-anyone-tells-you-he-s-from-new-orleans-and-doesn-t-drink-he-s/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [Louisiana is a fresh-air mental asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/louisiana-is-a-fresh-air-mental-asylum/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [I also believe my home state is cursed by ignorance and poverty and racism, much of it deliberately inculcated to control a vulnerable electorate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-also-believe-my-home-state-is-cursed-by-ignorance-and-poverty-and/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“Pork and chicken grease, the aromatics of choice for the Cajun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wheaton/pork-and-chicken-grease-the-aromatics-of-choice-for-the-cajun/) [Ken Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wheaton/) > [“She couldn't promise Chandler Caillou more than she was willing to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-johnson/she-couldn-t-promise-chandler-caillou-more-than-she-was-willing-to/) [Suzanne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-johnson/) ## More by James Lee Burke > [“Why don’t you try to make me feel bad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/why-don-t-you-try-to-make-me-feel-bad/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [ But the participants \[in war\] never forgot the details of their experience, and like the Wandering Jew, they were condemned to remain their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/but-the-participants-in-war-never-forgot-the-details-of-their/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“A wet cigarette butt clung to my cheek like a mashed cockroach. I could smell whiskey and beer in my clothes and Gable’s blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/a-wet-cigarette-butt-clung-to-my-cheek-like-a-mashed-cockroach-i/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“And I suppose that what I have learned is a lesson that the years, or self-concern, had begun to hide from me, namely, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/and-i-suppose-that-what-i-have-learned-is-a-lesson-that-the-years-or/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The Homeric Epic does not have to be discovered inside a book; it begins just west of Fort Worth and extends all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-homeric-epic-does-not-have-to-be-discovered-inside-a-book-it/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The best moments in life are not the kind many historians record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-moments-in-life-are-not-the-kind-many-historians-record/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“I would almost forget about Ida Durbin. But a sin of omission, if indeed that's what it was, can be like the rusty head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-would-almost-forget-about-ida-durbin-but-a-sin-of-omission-if/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [The best thing about being a best-selling writer is being a best-selling writer. More seriously, today I can write full time and pay the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-thing-about-being-a-best-selling-writer-is-being-a-best/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [If there is any human tragedy, there is only one, and it occurs when we forget who we are and remain silent while a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-there-is-any-human-tragedy-there-is-only-one-and-it-occurs-when-we/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [I sometimes subscribe to the belief that all historical events occur simultaneously, like a dream in the mind of God. Perhaps it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-sometimes-subscribe-to-the-belief-that-all-historical-events-occur/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“If people stick together, they can always make do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-people-stick-together-they-can-always-make-do/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“When a man molests a woman or girl, he steals her identity. You don't know who you are anymore. You don't have an address…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/when-a-man-molests-a-woman-or-girl-he-steals-her-identity-you-don-t/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [writing is like being in love. You never get better at it or learn more about it. The day you think you do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/writing-is-like-being-in-love-you-never-get-better-at-it-or-learn/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“beautiful street in the Western world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/beautiful-street-in-the-western-world/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [Using a first-person narrator is simply a matter of hearing the voice inside yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/using-a-first-person-narrator-is-simply-a-matter-of-hearing-the-voice/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) [Explore all 169 James Lee Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## More Cajun quotes > [Cajun is country food by farmers and fisherman that arrived in Louisiana from Acadiana, Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/cajun-is-country-food-by-farmers-and-fisherman-that-arrived-in/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [“Too much Cajun in you, Brooke. Too much Louisiana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-dean/too-much-cajun-in-you-brooke-too-much-louisiana/) [Will Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-dean/) > [I'm from Louisiana, and that's where I got my start, in Cajun music. There's a huge music scene down there centered around our culture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/i-m-from-louisiana-and-that-s-where-i-got-my-start-in-cajun-music/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [“She couldn't promise Chandler Caillou more than she was willing to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-johnson/she-couldn-t-promise-chandler-caillou-more-than-she-was-willing-to/) [Suzanne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-johnson/) > [“Colored or not, we all work for the white man's cotton...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke-red-cherry-blues/colored-or-not-we-all-work-for-the-white-man-s-cotton/) [James Lee Burke Red Cherry Blues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke-red-cherry-blues/) > [“Pork and chicken grease, the aromatics of choice for the Cajun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wheaton/pork-and-chicken-grease-the-aromatics-of-choice-for-the-cajun/) [Ken Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wheaton/) > [“Abandoned residential homes are common in the area—often the casualties of severe damage from hurricanes—but what I find fascinating is the mettle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-correll/abandoned-residential-homes-are-common-in-the-area-often-the/) [Mike Correll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-correll/) > [New Orleans cuisine is Creole rather than Cajun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/new-orleans-cuisine-is-creole-rather-than-cajun/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [“Well, I was sure this handsome buck would follow us both out, but when I got back to the kitchen, there he still was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-villas/well-i-was-sure-this-handsome-buck-would-follow-us-both-out-but-when/) [James Villas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-villas/) > [“A real Cajun never leaves home, never.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-pousson/a-real-cajun-never-leaves-home-never/) [Martin Pousson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-pousson/) > [“That's man's way. To prove something. Day in, day out he must prove he is a man. Poor Fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-j-gaines/that-s-man-s-way-to-prove-something-day-in-day-out-he-must-prove-he/) [Ernest J. Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-j-gaines/) > [“My culture is no better than anybody else's culture. My people were no better than anybody else. And yet I will not accept it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dewey-balfa/my-culture-is-no-better-than-anybody-else-s-culture-my-people-were-no/) [Dewey Balfa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dewey-balfa/) > [Just had the cajun soamln. It was excellent! I can't wait to try everything on the menu. Thanks for offering fresh food that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma/just-had-the-cajun-soamln-it-was-excellent-i-can-t-wait-to-try/) [Wilma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma/) > [Cajun culture is dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/cajun-culture-is-dying/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [“Sometimes we're born into situations, he'd said. We have to decide if we're gonna be a part of it or if we're gonna put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-johnson/sometimes-we-re-born-into-situations-he-d-said-we-have-to-decide-if/) [Suzanne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-johnson/) [Browse all 30 Cajun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cajun/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Lee Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man-s-cotton/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cajun" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man-s-cotton/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/james-lee-burke-2289_cajun_colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man_2669503.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.” — James Lee Burke", "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": "James Lee Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Colored or not, we all pick...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man-s-cotton/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/colored-or-not-we-all-pick-the-white-man-s-cotton/#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 } } ] } ```