--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because if you weren't born white, you…" description: "\"Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see differences; or if you weren't born what they called normal, or if you got injured, then you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png" --- # Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see… ![“Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see differences; or if you weren't born what they called normal, or if you got injured, then you were left to explore the world of the different.” quote by Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png) > “Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see differences; or if you weren't born what they called normal, or if you got injured, then you were left to explore the world of the different.” [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being non‑white or non‑normative forces one to confront differences and explore diverse perspectives. **In simple terms:** Being different makes you notice and explore variety. Key Takeaway Embrace differences as a path to understanding. Themes identity diversity perception Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - social work - personal growth - activism Key Concepts social constructs intersectionality Questions to Reflect On - How does identity shape perception? - What can we learn from diverse experiences? A Different Perspective May overlook individual agency within groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, race is the elephant in the room, and we all understand that. 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And I'm upset that I was born a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-stevens/i-really-wanted-to-be-born-a-woman-it-all-started-there-a-south/) [Fisher Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-stevens/) > [“Luckily, I was not born a white man.\* \*This has never before been said in the history of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/luckily-i-was-not-born-a-white-man-this-has-never-before-been-said-in/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [People didn't seem able to consider that maybe both were true. OK, I was born to white parents, but maybe I had an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/people-didn-t-seem-able-to-consider-that-maybe-both-were-true-ok-i/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) > [I was born to give the white man hell, and I will give him hell from the cradle to the grave,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid-abdul-muhammad/i-was-born-to-give-the-white-man-hell-and-i-will-give-him-hell-from/) [Khalid Abdul Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid-abdul-muhammad/) > [If you were born white, you automatically have a monstrous advantage educationally, economically, culturally, and within the society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-popovich/if-you-were-born-white-you-automatically-have-a-monstrous-advantage/) [Gregg Popovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-popovich/) > [“And finally this, when the sun was falling down so beautiful we didn’t have time to give it a name, she held the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/and-finally-this-when-the-sun-was-falling-down-so-beautiful-we-didn-t/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantages. The reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fielding-smith/there-is-a-reason-why-one-man-is-born-black-and-with-other/) [Joseph Fielding Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fielding-smith/) > [If you read some of the recent literature, there is no such thing as whiteness. But we made it up. Not my original thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-popovich/if-you-read-some-of-the-recent-literature-there-is-no-such-thing-as/) [Gregg Popovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-popovich/) > [“This aspect of animated nature, in which man is nothing, has something in it strange and sad…Here, in a fertile country, adorned with eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-humboldt/this-aspect-of-animated-nature-in-which-man-is-nothing-has-something/) Alexander Humboldt > [Before I was a vegetarian, I traveled to South Africa and hung out there for a little bit. And they had different animals -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-esposito/before-i-was-a-vegetarian-i-traveled-to-south-africa-and-hung-out/) [Cameron Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-esposito/) > [The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-world-is-very-different-now-for-man-holds-in-his-mortal-hands-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/we-have-to-figure-out-why-we-see-the-world-in-different-ways-and-then/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## More by Leslie Marmon Silko > [To be able to make up stories has been a great gift to me from my ancestors and from the storytellers who were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/to-be-able-to-make-up-stories-has-been-a-great-gift-to-me-from-my/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“rip the tongue from the darkness shake the earth with your breathing and explode gray ice dreams of eternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/rip-the-tongue-from-the-darkness-shake-the-earth-with-your-breathing/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [He made a story for all of them, a story to give them strength. The words of the story poured out of his mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-made-a-story-for-all-of-them-a-story-to-give-them-strength-the/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The truth of course was otherwise, but Lecha had never felt she owed anyone the truth, unless it was truth about their own lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-truth-of-course-was-otherwise-but-lecha-had-never-felt-she-owed/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“He could get no rest as long as the memories were tangled with the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-could-get-no-rest-as-long-as-the-memories-were-tangled-with-the/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The story was the important thing and little changes here and there were really part of the story. There were even stories about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-story-was-the-important-thing-and-little-changes-here-and-there/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [You don't have anything if you don't have the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/you-don-t-have-anything-if-you-don-t-have-the-stories/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Being alive was all right then: he had not breathed like that for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/being-alive-was-all-right-then-he-had-not-breathed-like-that-for-a/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [I don't make outlines or plans because whenever I do, they turn out to be useless. It is as if I am compelled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/i-don-t-make-outlines-or-plans-because-whenever-i-do-they-turn-out-to/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [What is it about us human beings that we can’t let go of lost things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/what-is-it-about-us-human-beings-that-we-can-t-let-go-of-lost-things/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The only way to get change is not through the courts or — heaven forbid — the politicians, but through a change of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-only-way-to-get-change-is-not-through-the-courts-or-heaven-forbid/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Night. Heavenly delicious sweet night of the desert that calls all of us to love her. The night is our comfort with her coolness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/night-heavenly-delicious-sweet-night-of-the-desert-that-calls-all-of/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Writing cant change the world overnight, but writing may have an enormous effect over time, over the long haul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/writing-cant-change-the-world-overnight-but-writing-may-have-an/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Things which don't shift and grow are dead things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/things-which-don-t-shift-and-grow-are-dead-things/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“I will tell you something about stories. They aren't just entertainment. They are all we have to fight off illness and death. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/i-will-tell-you-something-about-stories-they-aren-t-just/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) [Explore all 44 Leslie Marmon Silko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) ## More Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see differences; or if you weren't born what they called normal, or if you got injured, then you were left to explore the world of the different.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leslie Marmon Silko" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-were-forced-to-see-differences/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Born" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-were-forced-to-see-differences/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_born_because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-we_1600383.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because if you weren't born white, you were forced to see differences; or if you weren't born what they…” — Leslie Marmon Silko", "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": "Leslie Marmon Silko", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Because if you weren't born white,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-were-forced-to-see-differences/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/because-if-you-weren-t-born-white-you-were-forced-to-see-differences/#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 } } ] } ```