---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard being black. You ever been…"
description: "\"It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.\" — Larry Holmes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg"
---

#  It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black…

![“It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.” quote by Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg)

> “It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.”

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Being black is a social experience shaped by race, poverty, and identity; the speaker equates blackness with hardship.

**In simple terms:** Blackness is linked to struggle.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge systemic challenges.

Themes

race identity poverty

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

social reflective

When to use this quote

- urban communities
- economic hardship
- sports culture
- education settings

Key Concepts

sociology intersectionality personal narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your background shape your identity?
- What steps can reduce racial inequities?

A Different Perspective

Equating race with poverty can oversimplify diverse experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I think it's always been especially hard for black people to let go of musicians who do heinous things because music is such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-think-it-s-always-been-especially-hard-for-black-people-to-let-go/)

[Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/)

> [I'm very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That's my cultural historical background, my genetic make-up, but it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-m-very-proud-to-be-black-but-black-is-not-all-i-am-that-s-my/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Among liberals and Democrats, there is this notion that the poor - especially the black poor - can do no wrong. If you criticize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-kane/among-liberals-and-democrats-there-is-this-notion-that-the-poor/)

Gregory Kane

> [Being Black and poor is, I think, radically different from being anything else and poor. Poor, to most Blacks, is a state of mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/being-black-and-poor-is-i-think-radically-different-from-being/)

[Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/)

> [Whenever you go through the length and breadth of our country... you see a long face: you will see the long face of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-ramaphosa/whenever-you-go-through-the-length-and-breadth-of-our-country-you-see/)

[Cyril Ramaphosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-ramaphosa/)

> [“So many black families spend all of their time trying to fix the problems of the past. That is the curse of being black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/so-many-black-families-spend-all-of-their-time-trying-to-fix-the-2/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“The new black conservatives claim that transfer payments to the black needy engender a mentality of dependence which undercuts the value of self-reliance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-new-black-conservatives-claim-that-transfer-payments-to-the-black/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/i-wear-the-black-for-the-poor-and-the-beaten-down-livin-in-the-2/)

[Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/)

> [ The White House, in advancing the agenda for a \[school\] "choice" plan, rests its faith on market mechanisms. What reason have the black and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-white-house-in-advancing-the-agenda-for-a-school-choice-plan/)

[Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/)

> [“The black middle class displays a torn ambivalence toward the situation of the black poor. They sympathetically recognize the harms of racism and targeted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pattillo/the-black-middle-class-displays-a-torn-ambivalence-toward-the/)

Mary Pattillo

> [“So many black families spend all of their time trying to fix the problems of the past. That is the curse of being black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/so-many-black-families-spend-all-of-their-time-trying-to-fix-the/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [There are three dominant tendencies in a neoliberal society: financialized, privatized, militarized. And when it comes to black poor people, we get all three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-are-three-dominant-tendencies-in-a-neoliberal-society/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [If your experiences suggest to you that poor black folk are lazy, then you must be true to those experiences - except, however, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/if-your-experiences-suggest-to-you-that-poor-black-folk-are-lazy-then/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“Many black and poor people, moreover, had become politicized by the civil rights movement and had begun to develop higher expectations from life. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/many-black-and-poor-people-moreover-had-become-politicized-by-the/)

[James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/)

> [“If people are troubled by their view, they ought to offer these New Orleanians, and black and poor people in the places like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sothern/if-people-are-troubled-by-their-view-they-ought-to-offer-these-new/)

[Billy Sothern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sothern/)

## More by Larry Holmes

> [I don't think Joe Louis could take the punches today fighting in this era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-don-t-think-joe-louis-could-take-the-punches-today-fighting-in-this/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I'm happy with my career but I could have been happier if I could have been treated like a champion should have been treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-m-happy-with-my-career-but-i-could-have-been-happier-if-i-could/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I'm tired. I am old and I have never quit pursuing my goals. I am heavily involved in real estate right now, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-m-tired-i-am-old-and-i-have-never-quit-pursuing-my-goals-i-am/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [Now I'm free of him and I'm light as a feather. There's no weight holding me down; I'm ready to spread my wings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/now-i-m-free-of-him-and-i-m-light-as-a-feather-there-s-no-weight/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [ I cursed \[Larry Merchant\] out once, and I told him that he was a phony. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-cursed-larry-merchant-out-once-and-i-told-him-that-he-was-a-phony/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [ Everyone still wants to see \[Floyd\] Mayweather and \[Manny\] Pacquaio fight. When the talks start though, it always seem like it is all about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/everyone-still-wants-to-see-floyd-mayweather-and-manny-pacquaio-fight/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I'm not a guy who counts cards. I'm a guy that plays with feeling. Because I feel that if something is going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-m-not-a-guy-who-counts-cards-i-m-a-guy-that-plays-with-feeling/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I think Ali was a fan of mine, even though he never said it. A lot of fighters thought I was pretty good. Nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-think-ali-was-a-fan-of-mine-even-though-he-never-said-it-a-lot-of/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I don't think boxing needs to be regulated. I think boxing needs to have a complaint board. And I think the complaint board should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-don-t-think-boxing-needs-to-be-regulated-i-think-boxing-needs-to/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [This is the lying thieving mother who cut me $500,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/this-is-the-lying-thieving-mother-who-cut-me-500-000/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I think gambling can be a good thing if you don't take it too seriously. Take it and have fun with it, and don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-think-gambling-can-be-a-good-thing-if-you-don-t-take-it-too/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [ \[My\] worst habit: Drinking too much Budweiser when I get angry. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/my-worst-habit-drinking-too-much-budweiser-when-i-get-angry/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [Mike Tyson is a sharp puncher. Earnie Shavers was a PUNISHING puncher. There was a difference between the two. Because when Shavers hit you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/mike-tyson-is-a-sharp-puncher-earnie-shavers-was-a-punishing-puncher/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. He hit me and I was face down on the canvas hearing saxophonist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/earnie-hit-me-harder-than-any-other-fighter-including-mike-tyson-he/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

> [I didn't fight this fight for the blacks, the whites or the Spanish, I fought th fight for the people. We're all God's children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-didn-t-fight-this-fight-for-the-blacks-the-whites-or-the-spanish-i/)

[Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

[Explore all 90 Larry Holmes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [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/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

Browse all 11,655 Black quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Larry Holmes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-black-i-was-black-once-when-i-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-black-i-was-black-once-when-i-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/larry-holmes-7529_black_it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-blac_1956213.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.” — Larry Holmes",
                "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": "Larry Holmes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's hard being black. You ever...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-black-i-was-black-once-when-i-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/it-s-hard-being-black-you-ever-been-black-i-was-black-once-when-i-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
