---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'll give you an example. Henry, the old…"
description: "\"I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who cooks the corn bread, he worked on the railroads for about 20 years so he knows how to lay and b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg"
---

#  I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who…

![“I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who cooks the corn bread, he worked on the railroads for about 20 years so he knows how to lay and build track.” quote by Marc Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg)

> “I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who cooks the corn bread, he worked on the railroads for about 20 years so he knows how to lay and build track.”

Marc Singer

## About This Quote

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

He gives an example of an experienced black railroad worker who knows how to build track.

**In simple terms:** Example of an experienced worker who knows track building.

Key Takeaway

Value experience and skill.

Themes

experience skill labor history race

Mood

respectful educational

Type

historical social

When to use this quote

- construction
- historical education
- career mentorship
- community stories

Key Concepts

social history labor studies skill development

Questions to Reflect On

- How does experience shape expertise?
- What lessons can be taught?

A Different Perspective

May stereotype.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Railroads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroads/)

## Related quotes

> [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/)

Mother Jones

> [All this piling up of one technology on top of another-railroad on steamboat, interstate highway on railroad, hydroelectric dam on watermill-had reduced the Mississippi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/all-this-piling-up-of-one-technology-on-top-of-another-railroad-on/)

[Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/)

> [In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-the-first-place-cranford-is-in-possession-of-the-amazons-all-the/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [This country has achieved its commercial and financial supremacy under a regime of private ownership. It conquered the wilderness, built our railroads, our factories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-cortelyou/this-country-has-achieved-its-commercial-and-financial-supremacy/)

George B. Cortelyou

> [A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging loudly and vainly as the train goes by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/a-critic-is-a-gong-at-a-railroad-crossing-clanging-loudly-and-vainly/)

[Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/)

> [“When you are waiting for a train, don't keep perpetually looking to see if it is coming. The time of its arrival is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-waiting-for-a-train-don-t-keep-perpetually-looking-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You don’t get it, do you?" I said. “It’s not a question of ‘what then’. Some people get a kick out of reading railroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-don-t-get-it-do-you-i-said-it-s-not-a-question-of-what-then-some/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I started composting in 1970 by taking my food scraps out behind where I lived and burying them in a hole next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/i-started-composting-in-1970-by-taking-my-food-scraps-out-behind/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [There are two things I don't care how smart you are, you will never understand. One is an alienist's testimony, and the other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-are-two-things-i-don-t-care-how-smart-you-are-you-will-never/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [It will be hard James but you come from sturdy peasant stock men who picked cotton and dammed rivers and built railroads and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-will-be-hard-james-but-you-come-from-sturdy-peasant-stock-men-who/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“In the early days of the country, before we had railroads, telegraphs and steamboats—in a word, rapid transit of any sort—the States were each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/in-the-early-days-of-the-country-before-we-had-railroads-telegraphs/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [When my friends and I played cowboys and Indians, I was always the Chinese railroad worker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/when-my-friends-and-i-played-cowboys-and-indians-i-was-always-the/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

## More by Marc Singer

> [I never wanted to be a film director but after this experience I really loved it. I would love to do more documentaries but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-film-director-but-after-this-experience-i/)

Marc Singer

> [We didn't have a drill so he would burn the holes through the wood with a metal rod that he heated up in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/we-didn-t-have-a-drill-so-he-would-burn-the-holes-through-the-wood/)

Marc Singer

Explore all 3 Marc Singer quotes

## 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": "I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who cooks the corn bread, he worked on the railroads for about 20 years so he knows how to lay and build track.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marc Singer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-black-guy-who-cooks-the-corn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-black-guy-who-cooks-the-corn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/marc-singer-81841_black_i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-b_154204.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'll give you an example. Henry, the old black guy who cooks the corn bread, he worked on the railroads for…” — Marc Singer",
                "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": "Marc Singer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-singer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'll give you an example. Henry,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-black-guy-who-cooks-the-corn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-singer/i-ll-give-you-an-example-henry-the-old-black-guy-who-cooks-the-corn/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
