--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [White men] has the audacity to call…" description: "\"[White men] has the audacity to call himself even the \"Leader of the Free World\" while he has a country that can't even give the basic human rights to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/malcolm-x-213_attitude_white-men-has-the-audacity-to-call-himse_2094602.jpg" --- # \[White men\] has the audacity to call himself even the… ![“[White men] has the audacity to call himself even the "Leader of the Free World" while he has a country that can't even give the basic human rights to over twenty-two million of its citizens. This is aud-, this is, this takes audacity; this takes nerve. So it is this attitude today that's causing…” quote by Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/malcolm-x-213_attitude_white-men-has-the-audacity-to-call-himse_2094602.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/malcolm-x-213_attitude_white-men-has-the-audacity-to-call-himse_2094602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/malcolm-x-213_attitude_white-men-has-the-audacity-to-call-himse_2094602.jpg) > “\[White men\] has the audacity to call himself even the "Leader of the Free World" while he has a country that can't even give the basic human rights to over twenty-two million of its citizens. This is aud-, this is, this takes audacity; this takes nerve. So it is this attitude today that's causing the Americans to be condemned.” [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker criticizes hypocrisy of a nation claiming freedom while denying basic rights to many citizens. **In simple terms:** A nation can claim freedom yet deny rights. Key Takeaway Hold leaders accountable. Themes politics human rights hypocrisy Mood urgent defiant Type political activist When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - public discourse - education campaigns Key Concepts justice national identity ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens influence policy? - What responsibilities do leaders have? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitical factors may limit immediate change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Condemned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-condemned-4156265/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Audacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audacity/) [Basic human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basic-human-rights/) [Causing Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-americans-4156266/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Free world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-world/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Audacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-audacity-4156267/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Twenty two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenty-two/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-man/) [White Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-men/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [It is the system itself that, that is incapable of producing freedom for the twenty-two million Afro-Americans. Just like a chicken can't lay a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/it-is-the-system-itself-that-that-is-incapable-of-producing-freedom/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The greatest miracle Christianity has achieved in America is that the Black man in white Christian hands has not grown violent. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-greatest-miracle-christianity-has-achieved-in-america-is-that-the-2/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I am not an American; I am one of twenty-two million black people who are victims of Americanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-am-not-an-american-i-am-one-of-twenty-two-million-black-people-who/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [ The problem \[ of the twenty-two million Afro-Americans\] is so broad that it's going to take the inner working of all organizations. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-problem-of-the-twenty-two-million-afro-americans-is-so-broad-that/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I look at the problem of the twenty-two million Afro-Americans as being a problem that's so broad in scope that it's almost impossible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-look-at-the-problem-of-the-twenty-two-million-afro-americans-as/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [22 million African-Americans - that's what we are - Africans who are in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/22-million-african-americans-that-s-what-we-are-africans-who-are-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That... was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/in-the-muslim-world-i-had-seen-that-men-with-white-complexions-were/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. Today they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/a-hundred-years-ago-the-american-white-men-used-to-put-on-a-white/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I spent twenty-two seasons playing professional baseball. Naturally, success in that field is measured by batting averages, number of home runs and RBIs, fielding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harmon-killebrew/i-spent-twenty-two-seasons-playing-professional-baseball-naturally/) [Harmon Killebrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harmon-killebrew/) > [Twenty-two pages is not a lot of space. Believe me. Having written a bazillion comics, I still find myself more often than nine pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/twenty-two-pages-is-not-a-lot-of-space-believe-me-having-written-a/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [If you want to live a long time, don't fool with nothing old but money, nothing big but a bank roll, nothing black but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satchel-paige/if-you-want-to-live-a-long-time-don-t-fool-with-nothing-old-but-money/) [Satchel Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satchel-paige/) > [With vinyl you had twenty-two minutes per side. CDs came along, and you had sixty, seventy, eighty minutes and people felt like they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mothersbaugh/with-vinyl-you-had-twenty-two-minutes-per-side-cds-came-along-and-you/) [Mark Mothersbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mothersbaugh/) > [I chose to be a photographer twenty-two years ago, but I don't know that I'd make that choice again. Back in the early eighties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/i-chose-to-be-a-photographer-twenty-two-years-ago-but-i-don-t-know/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [Twenty-two martyrs were recognized, but there were many more, and not only Catholics. There were also Anglicans and some Mohammedans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/twenty-two-martyrs-were-recognized-but-there-were-many-more-and-not/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/two-times-two-is-twenty-two-four-times-four-is-forty-four-when/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## More by Malcolm X > [If Christianity had asserted itself in Germany, six million Jews would have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-christianity-had-asserted-itself-in-germany-six-million-jews-would/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [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/) > [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/be-nonviolent-only-with-those-who-are-nonviolent-to-you-and-when-you/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [You can't legislate good will - that comes through education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-can-t-legislate-good-will-that-comes-through-education/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [We Muslims believe that the white race, which is guilty of having oppressed and exploited and enslaved our people here in America, should and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-muslims-believe-that-the-white-race-which-is-guilty-of-having/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Like Samson, I am ready to pull down the white man's temple, knowing full well that I will be destroyed by the falling rubble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/like-samson-i-am-ready-to-pull-down-the-white-man-s-temple-knowing/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Any negro who occupies a position that was given to him by the white man, if you analyze his function, his function never enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-negro-who-occupies-a-position-that-was-given-to-him-by-the-white/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Stumbling is not falling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/stumbling-is-not-falling/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [God is going to punish the white man for his misdeeds toward black people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/god-is-going-to-punish-the-white-man-for-his-misdeeds-toward-black/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Much of what I say might sound like it's stirring up trouble, but it's the truth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/much-of-what-i-say-might-sound-like-it-s-stirring-up-trouble-but-it-s/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-believe-in-the-brotherhood-of-all-men-but-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) [Explore all 891 Malcolm X quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [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/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) [Sheye Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheye-hassan/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[White men] has the audacity to call himself even the \"Leader of the Free World\" while he has a country that can't even give the basic human rights to over twenty-two million of its citizens. This is aud-, this is, this takes audacity; this takes nerve. 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