Growing up Quote by John Carlos
“I think society had to grow up to the mentality of Peter Norman.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: 1972 Olympic Medal Ceremony
Societal change requires individuals to embody new mentalities and challenge norms.
In simple terms: Society must adopt new mentalities.
Key Takeaway
Embrace progressive attitudes to drive social change.
Themes
civil rights
activism
social change
identity
sports
Mood
hopeful
determined
Type
motivational
thoughtful
When to use this quote
- athlete activism
- racial justice movements
- education reform
Key Concepts
equality
courage
public advocacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can individuals inspire societal shifts?
- What barriers exist to new mentalities?
A Different Perspective
Resistance to change can be strong.
![“[Sport officials] blocked their support of us. But those individuals [ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar ] were old enough, they were wise enough, and they knew their history and this is why they came out in support of us, because they knew that we had our finger…” quote by John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/13b/john-carlos-16923_bills_sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of_4987.jpg)
![“The black socks [on me at Olympics in 1968] emphasized the fact that we had so many Blacks and people of color here in the United States, the greatest country in the world, that was running around in poverty every day, so we wanted to illustrate the fact that these individuals did not have shoes…” quote by John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d36/john-carlos-16923_black_the-black-socks-on-me-at-olympics-in-196_221018.jpg)
![“It took some time for us to realize that [people] didn't particularly say they didn't like us or have the love for us that they had in the past, nor the respect. I think they chose to leave based on the fact that they felt a reprisal for being associated or having a friendship with John Carlos or…” quote by John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bd1/john-carlos-16923_facts_it-took-some-time-for-us-to-realize-that_593802.jpg)
![“I failed, I think, seven [or] eight times before I finally got my first [championship]. It was just, you know, just about me growing up. Now that I'm an old, old veteran-age 29-I do things a lot differently. I don't go to the gentlemen's clubs anymore. I had to slow that down.” quote by Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/08f/shaquille-o-neal-659_age_i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-be_2731.jpg)
