--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am angry. It is illegal for me to be…" description: "\"“I am angry. It is illegal for me to be angry. Remember: Don't get angry. It is illegal to be a black man and be angry. Right. Got it. I will remember ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/749/kara-lee-corthron-26904_anger_i-am-angry-it-is-illegal-for-me-to-be-an_1289168.jpg" --- # I am angry. It is illegal for me to be angry. Remember… ![“I am angry. It is illegal for me to be angry. Remember: Don't get angry. It is illegal to be a black man and be angry. Right. Got it. I will remember this next time.” quote by Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/749/kara-lee-corthron-26904_anger_i-am-angry-it-is-illegal-for-me-to-be-an_1289168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/749/kara-lee-corthron-26904_anger_i-am-angry-it-is-illegal-for-me-to-be-an_1289168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/749/kara-lee-corthron-26904_anger_i-am-angry-it-is-illegal-for-me-to-be-an_1289168.jpg) > ““I am angry. It is illegal for me to be angry. Remember: Don't get angry. It is illegal to be a black man and be angry. Right. Got it. I will remember this next time.”” [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal oppression criminalizes legitimate emotional expression, especially for marginalized groups. **In simple terms:** Anger is a right, not a crime. Key Takeaway Challenge unjust laws. Themes justice racism emotional health Mood empathetic urgent Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - protests - mental health advocacy - legal reform Key Concepts systemic oppression civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How can we support emotional safety? - What allies can amplify marginalized voices? A Different Perspective Legal change alone may not heal trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Black lives matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lives-matter/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) ## Related quotes > [It was illegal for black people and white people to play checkers together in Birmingham. 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I can’t remember (promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/he-wrote-v-ra-sheepishly-something-has-happened-only-don-t-be-angry-i/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [I remember being really angry. I remember not wanting anything to do with God, and I was going in for surgeries every three months.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/i-remember-being-really-angry-i-remember-not-wanting-anything-to-do/) [Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/) > [“You were really angry, if I remember correctly," I gasp. "Anastasia, I'm always really angry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/you-were-really-angry-if-i-remember-correctly-i-gasp-anastasia-i-m/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [“the black man today will only find solitude in one place: prison. ironically, he becomes most free while incarcerated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/the-black-man-today-will-only-find-solitude-in-one-place-prison/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [“Going to church will not get you the black man you seek and it never will. 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Maybe he'd be a new kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaa-gyasi/maybe-he-wouldn-t-end-up-the-kind-of-man-who-needed-to-use-his-body/) [Yaa Gyasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaa-gyasi/) > [“Inspire, celebrate, and empower our Black males. Support them in becoming confident, intelligent, strong, capable, and powerful Black men, teens, and boys. There’s GREAT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/inspire-celebrate-and-empower-our-black-males-support-them-in/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [“Black Fatherhood is an incomparable gift to Black men that truly comprehend what it means to be called dad, daddy, father, or pops. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/black-fatherhood-is-an-incomparable-gift-to-black-men-that-truly/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [At its best, what art does is, it points to who we as human beings and what we as human beings value. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/at-its-best-what-art-does-is-it-points-to-who-we-as-human-beings-and/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [It's about being fair. It's about Black Lives Matter. Yes, they matter. Everybody counts or nobody counts, and I think if more cops had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/it-s-about-being-fair-it-s-about-black-lives-matter-yes-they-matter/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) ## More by Kara Lee Corthron > [“Oldest toy store in the world and they couldn't pay their rent anymore. New York City real estate. Nothing good can stay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/oldest-toy-store-in-the-world-and-they-couldn-t-pay-their-rent/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“I'm awful at hiding it when I'm miserable. Sometimes I think if I were better at it maybe I'd be able to fool myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/i-m-awful-at-hiding-it-when-i-m-miserable-sometimes-i-think-if-i-were/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“I dug her usage of "Spotify" as a verb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/i-dug-her-usage-of-spotify-as-a-verb/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“I'm probably the only person in the world that feels physical pain as a reaction to joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/i-m-probably-the-only-person-in-the-world-that-feels-physical-pain-as/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“If I know that I can do something that makes me happy, why do I allow myself to get so depressed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/if-i-know-that-i-can-do-something-that-makes-me-happy-why-do-i-allow/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“In a flash, I remember why I don't care for therapists and why I didn't want to do this in the first place. 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It's one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/he-kisses-my-tears-and-i-laugh-this-is-a-moment-i-want-to-remember/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“Honesty isn't easy. Or comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/honesty-isn-t-easy-or-comfortable/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“Saturday-morning cartoon sure aren't what they used to be. The animation is lazy. Too clean. He misses being able to detect pencil lines and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/saturday-morning-cartoon-sure-aren-t-what-they-used-to-be-the/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“You know gentrification is deep when a garage rock band made up of three white boys is called "Harlem".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/you-know-gentrification-is-deep-when-a-garage-rock-band-made-up-of/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“I have no interest in looking at all of that shit written down. I would rather have a root canal. In 1705.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/i-have-no-interest-in-looking-at-all-of-that-shit-written-down-i/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“You never know. Somebody can seem cool and then you look in their music library and there's Katy Perry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/you-never-know-somebody-can-seem-cool-and-then-you-look-in-their/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) > [“I don't like being profiled. Doesn't matter what the truth is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-corthron/i-don-t-like-being-profiled-doesn-t-matter-what-the-truth-is/) [Kara Lee Corthron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) [Explore all 21 Kara Lee Corthron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lee-corthron/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am angry. It is illegal for me to be angry. Remember: Don't get angry. It is illegal to be a black man and be angry. Right. Got it. 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