--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I keep telling everyone that I want to…" description: "\"I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me serious..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png" --- # I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution… ![“I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade, would you take me seriously?” quote by Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png) > “I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade, would you take me seriously?” [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Calls for radical change may be dismissed due to bias, highlighting societal double standards. **In simple terms:** Revolutionary ideas face bias. Key Takeaway Challenge stereotypes, persist in activism. Themes social justice bias activism Mood determined defiant Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - political movements - media representation Key Concepts systemic inequality identity politics Questions to Reflect On - How does your identity affect perception? - What strategies overcome bias? A Different Perspective Change may be met with resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-skin/) [Grenade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grenade/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) ## Related quotes > [I have never understood why they tried to start the revolution by taking over the universities. It should have been self-evident that the net…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-beadle/i-have-never-understood-why-they-tried-to-start-the-revolution-by/) Muriel Beadle > [This will be a revolution of inquiring further, of not worrying about winning other people's approval, of not wishing you were someone else but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/this-will-be-a-revolution-of-inquiring-further-of-not-worrying-about/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [A great democratic revolution is taking place in our midst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/a-great-democratic-revolution-is-taking-place-in-our-midst/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [10 years ago the black man knew what his condition was. And today, because of the world revolution that's taking place all over this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/10-years-ago-the-black-man-knew-what-his-condition-was-and-today/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [A revolution is already taking place in India. Things are changing here already - peacefully and democratically. There's no danger of communism. There would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/a-revolution-is-already-taking-place-in-india-things-are-changing/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [“A revolution is taking place within her, as though a lifetime's experience could be outdistanced in the span of a conversation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-a-harrison/a-revolution-is-taking-place-within-her-as-though-a-lifetime-s/) [A.S.A. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-a-harrison/) > [There is a system set up that we live in, and I've got to use that system and fight the revolution from within. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/there-is-a-system-set-up-that-we-live-in-and-i-ve-got-to-use-that/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [There is a revolution taking place in school and college campuses in India, and particularly in Kerala, much like the one that sowed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pranav-mistry/there-is-a-revolution-taking-place-in-school-and-college-campuses-in/) [Pranav Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pranav-mistry/) > [“Let's start a revolution, a revolution with no gun, but words and action to inspire the next generation. The truth should make us better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-johnson-jr/let-s-start-a-revolution-a-revolution-with-no-gun-but-words-and/) [Henry Johnson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-johnson-jr/) > [“Stop a stranger and ask her to explain her greatest fears and her secret hopes and aspirations in detail and then tell her you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/stop-a-stranger-and-ask-her-to-explain-her-greatest-fears-and-her/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [You don't start a revolution by fighting the state but by presenting the solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-corbusier/you-don-t-start-a-revolution-by-fighting-the-state-but-by-presenting/) [Le Corbusier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-corbusier/) > [“Don't exist. Live. Get out, explore. Thrive. Challenge authority. Challenge yourself. Evolve. Change forever. Become who you say you always will. Keep moving. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krans/don-t-exist-live-get-out-explore-thrive-challenge-authority-challenge-2/) [Brian Krans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krans/) > [“Remind me to start a revolution about that later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/remind-me-to-start-a-revolution-about-that-later/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“Don't exist. Live. Get out, explore. Thrive. Challenge authority. Challenge yourself. Evolve. Change forever. Become who you say you always will. Keep moving. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krans/don-t-exist-live-get-out-explore-thrive-challenge-authority-challenge/) [Brian Krans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krans/) > [“You said yourself that the people of Luna need a revolutionary.” She lifted her chin, holding his gaze. “So I’m going to Luna, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/you-said-yourself-that-the-people-of-luna-need-a-revolutionary-she/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) ## More by Madonna Ciccone > [I would like to see the Pope wearing my T-shirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-would-like-to-see-the-pope-wearing-my-t-shirt/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [In some respects I will never die. Because art is immortal. What we leave behind and what we create - the energy that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/in-some-respects-i-will-never-die-because-art-is-immortal-what-we/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I had decided that if I was going to be a singer, I had to earn it. I had to learn how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-had-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-had-to-earn-it-i/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [The thing I love most about being famous is people listening to me when I have something important to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/the-thing-i-love-most-about-being-famous-is-people-listening-to-me/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [People have no morals, I swear to God. The things that people do for ratings! It's unforgivable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/people-have-no-morals-i-swear-to-god-the-things-that-people-do-for/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [There's no greater power than the power of good-bye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/there-s-no-greater-power-than-the-power-of-good-bye/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross and the Jackson 5, that's what I grew up on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/stevie-wonder-and-diana-ross-and-the-jackson-5-that-s-what-i-grew-up/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I'm very grateful that I had work to do. I may have thrown myself off a building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-m-very-grateful-that-i-had-work-to-do-i-may-have-thrown-myself-off/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [The beast is the modern world that we live in! The material world. The physical world. The world of illusion that we think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/the-beast-is-the-modern-world-that-we-live-in-the-material-world-the/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [With all the chaos, pain and suffering in the world, the fact that my adoption of a child from who was living in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/with-all-the-chaos-pain-and-suffering-in-the-world-the-fact-that-my/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Being blond is definitely a different state of mind. I can't really put my finger on it, but the artifice of being blond has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/being-blond-is-definitely-a-different-state-of-mind-i-can-t-really/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Because I was a dancer, I started going to auditions for musical theater, which forced me to sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/because-i-was-a-dancer-i-started-going-to-auditions-for-musical/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Some girls they like candy and others they like to grind. I'll settle for the back of your hand somewhere on my behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/some-girls-they-like-candy-and-others-they-like-to-grind-i-ll-settle/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [You took a poison arrow and you aimed it at my heart. It's heavy and it's bitter, and it's tearing me apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/you-took-a-poison-arrow-and-you-aimed-it-at-my-heart-it-s-heavy-and/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Gay men are perfect men for girls who are tough. They're not threatened by strong women, and they're usually very in touch with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/gay-men-are-perfect-men-for-girls-who-are-tough-they-re-not/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) [Explore all 593 Madonna Ciccone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More Afros quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I always thought he gave me that name because I have a kind of outgoing or sunny disposition. And in those days I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-always-thought-he-gave-me-that-name-because-i-have-a-kind-of/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Malcolm X broke with the N.O.I. in March 1964, and in that last 11 chaotic months, he spent most of the time outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/malcolm-x-broke-with-the-n-o-i-in-march-1964-and-in-that-last-11/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-miscegenation-laws-of-the-south-only-operate-against-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-barrier-williams/the-hearts-of-afro-american-women-are-too-warm-and-too-large-for-race/) Fannie Barrier Williams > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/even-his-hair-was-bigger-a-massive-globe-of-blue-black-frizz-so-thick/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Music really influenced me when I was growing up. I did go through a Jimi Hendrix phase. My hair was naturally quite afro, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccrory/music-really-influenced-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i-did-go-through-a/) [Helen McCrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccrory/) > [The Afro-American is not a bestial race. If this work can contribute in any way towards proving this, and at the same time arouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-not-a-bestial-race-if-this-work-can-contribute/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Afro-Caribbean influences are in me as a creative being the same way Spanish influences were in Picasso's work. I think the notion of labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-fagan/afro-caribbean-influences-are-in-me-as-a-creative-being-the-same-way/) Garth Fagan > [The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-common-goal-of-22-million-afro-americans-is-respect-as-human/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/in-italy-i-had-an-afro-and-a-lot-of-the-kids-came-up-and-felt-my-hair/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [The separating of a section of America for Afro- Americans is similar to expecting a heaven in the sky somewhere after you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-separating-of-a-section-of-america-for-afro-americans-is-similar/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) Browse all 77 Afros quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade, would you take me seriously?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madonna Ciccone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-start-a-revolution-but-no-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afros" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-start-a-revolution-but-no-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/madonna-ciccone-401_afros_i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-s_2980011.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I keep telling everyone that I want to start a revolution but no one is taking me seriously. If I had black…” — Madonna Ciccone", "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": "Madonna Ciccone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I keep telling everyone that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-start-a-revolution-but-no-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-keep-telling-everyone-that-i-want-to-start-a-revolution-but-no-one/#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 } } ] } ```