--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot afford to be color-blind, we…" description: "\"We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be color-brave.\" — Mellody Hobson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg" --- # We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be… ![“We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be color-brave.” quote by Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg) > “We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be color-brave.” [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society must move beyond ignoring race to actively confronting it, encouraging courageous dialogue about color. **In simple terms:** Be color‑brave, not color‑blind. Key Takeaway Confront race issues boldly. Themes racial equity courage social responsibility Mood determined hopeful Type personal political When to use this quote - workplace diversity - education policy - community activism - personal growth Key Concepts justice inclusion leadership Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster brave conversations? - What steps make color‑bravery practical? A Different Perspective Bravery can provoke backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) ## Related quotes > [I'm asking you not to be color blind, but to be color brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-m-asking-you-not-to-be-color-blind-but-to-be-color-brave/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [It's time we become comfortable with the uncomfortable conversations about race...Instead of being color blind, we need to be color brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/it-s-time-we-become-comfortable-with-the-uncomfortable-conversations/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [Don't be color blind, be color brave. Embrace diversity as a competitive advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/don-t-be-color-blind-be-color-brave-embrace-diversity-as-a/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [As citizens, I'm asking you not to leave any child behind. I'm asking you not to be color blind, but to be color brave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/as-citizens-i-m-asking-you-not-to-leave-any-child-behind-i-m-asking/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [“In the dark, all cats are gray . . . and to the blind, they’re no color at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-the-dark-all-cats-are-gray-and-to-the-blind-they-re-no-color-at-all/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [We cannot afford to exclude any vision - any way of looking at the world - that human beings have invented for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clute/we-cannot-afford-to-exclude-any-vision-any-way-of-looking-at-the/) [John Clute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clute/) > [We cannot afford all this illegal immigration and everything that comes with it, everything from the crime and to the drugs and the kidnappings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/we-cannot-afford-all-this-illegal-immigration-and-everything-that/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [I only hope that one day, America will recognize what the rest of the world already has known, that our indigenous music - gospel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-only-hope-that-one-day-america-will-recognize-what-the-rest-of-the/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [We cannot afford to weaponize race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gillum/we-cannot-afford-to-weaponize-race/) [Andrew Gillum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-gillum/) > [Now we maintain that we cannot be afford to be concerned about 6 percent of the children in this country, black children, who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stokely-carmichael/now-we-maintain-that-we-cannot-be-afford-to-be-concerned-about-6/) [Stokely Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stokely-carmichael/) > [We cannot afford to have lies in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/we-cannot-afford-to-have-lies-in-music/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [“Some people are color-blind; some are intellectually-deaf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-are-color-blind-some-are-intellectually-deaf/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I don't wear a lot of color because I live in New York, and I'm sort of color-blind, so colors don't match to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verite/i-don-t-wear-a-lot-of-color-because-i-live-in-new-york-and-i-m-sort/) Verite > [“If you’d like to grasp the full beauty of God’s creation, see color. Instead of pretending like we are color-blind, let’s celebrate God’s creation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-d-moore/if-you-d-like-to-grasp-the-full-beauty-of-god-s-creation-see-color/) [Russell D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-d-moore/) > [Justice should be blind especially color-blind and able to fairly deal with the very real need for honest law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/justice-should-be-blind-especially-color-blind-and-able-to-fairly/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) ## More by Mellody Hobson > [I love Obama. And Michelle. I was so grateful for them. They were such stunning people. We were lucky to have them. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-love-obama-and-michelle-i-was-so-grateful-for-them-they-were-such/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [When I think of my career and why I leaned in, it comes down to basic survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/when-i-think-of-my-career-and-why-i-leaned-in-it-comes-down-to-basic/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I can't tell you how many resumes we get from business schools across the country from black women and black men and Hispanic women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-can-t-tell-you-how-many-resumes-we-get-from-business-schools-across/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [Bravery is not the absence of fear, it is overcoming it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/bravery-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-overcoming-it/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [How many people, though, do I meet that I think have talent? Well actually a lot. That's what drives my enthusiasm in the conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/how-many-people-though-do-i-meet-that-i-think-have-talent-well/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [Having a financially illiterate society is dangerous, and we have to do something about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/having-a-financially-illiterate-society-is-dangerous-and-we-have-to/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I've been thought to be a flight attendant many many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-ve-been-thought-to-be-a-flight-attendant-many-many-times/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I always felt very insecure financially as a child. I was desperate to understand money as a child. I was desperate to be secure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-always-felt-very-insecure-financially-as-a-child-i-was-desperate-to/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I grew up going to a school where there weren't a lot of black kids. And so my mother, from a very, very young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-grew-up-going-to-a-school-where-there-weren-t-a-lot-of-black-kids/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [Now, race is one of those topics in America that makes people extraordinarily uncomfortable. You bring it up at a dinner party or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/now-race-is-one-of-those-topics-in-america-that-makes-people/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I know many members of our community steer clear of Wall Street because of the perception that the stock market is risky, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-know-many-members-of-our-community-steer-clear-of-wall-street/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I've told stories about people coming to my office and giving me their coats and requesting that I hang them up and get coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-ve-told-stories-about-people-coming-to-my-office-and-giving-me/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I found my own orthodontist, my own high school. I set up interviews and did college trips. Despite her incredible concern and caring, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-found-my-own-orthodontist-my-own-high-school-i-set-up-interviews/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I know that my life is a miracle and because of that, I can't think my success is because I was so great at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/i-know-that-my-life-is-a-miracle-and-because-of-that-i-can-t-think-my/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [You cannot be brave without fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/you-cannot-be-brave-without-fear/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) [Explore all 76 Mellody Hobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) ## More Afford quotes > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/just-because-you-can-afford-it-doesn-t-mean-you-should-buy-it/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [I am not a Ph.D. in economics or a doctorate in literature that I can afford to take my singing lightly. Even if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-kher/i-am-not-a-ph-d-in-economics-or-a-doctorate-in-literature-that-i-can/) [Kailash Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-kher/) > [Now I'm having to live with sales of around 50,000 per album - but I'm pretty content with my place in the general scheme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-knopfler/now-i-m-having-to-live-with-sales-of-around-50-000-per-album-but-i-m/) [David Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-knopfler/) > [I was lucky because I got so successful so early, and when you get successful early, then you can afford to be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-was-lucky-because-i-got-so-successful-so-early-and-when-you-get/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-have-crooked-toes-from-wearing-boots-that-didn-t-fit-me-because/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [The most common reason new mothers return to work sooner than they'd like to is because they can't afford to go without their salaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/the-most-common-reason-new-mothers-return-to-work-sooner-than-they-d/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [This fatigue can not afford to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israa-ali/this-fatigue-can-not-afford-to-do/) [ISRAA ALI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israa-ali/) > [A good player is a good player, it's just that we cannot afford signings that do not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/a-good-player-is-a-good-player-it-s-just-that-we-cannot-afford/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) > [I'm not the most talented writer in the world. I know that. But I also know that I'm disciplined, that I work my butt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/i-m-not-the-most-talented-writer-in-the-world-i-know-that-but-i-also/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) > [Unfortunately, some people go to a restaurant, and they aren't really there to enjoy themselves. They're there because they think they deserve to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dinicol/unfortunately-some-people-go-to-a-restaurant-and-they-aren-t-really/) Joe Dinicol > [Nobody has so many friends that he can afford to lose one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/nobody-has-so-many-friends-that-he-can-afford-to-lose-one/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [My earliest memories were when my mom would put me in the plays that she was in because she couldn't afford a babysitter... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/my-earliest-memories-were-when-my-mom-would-put-me-in-the-plays-that/) [Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/) > [In Washington journalists can afford to live almost as well as people who work for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-washington-journalists-can-afford-to-live-almost-as-well-as-people/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'm a little bit tough because I can't afford to get my heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-glanville/i-m-a-little-bit-tough-because-i-can-t-afford-to-get-my-heart-broken/) [Brandi Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-glanville/) Browse all 784 Afford quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be color-brave.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mellody Hobson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-have-to-be-color-brave/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afford" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-have-to-be-color-brave/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/mellody-hobson-8989_afford_we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-ha_784949.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot afford to be color-blind, we have to be color-brave.” — Mellody Hobson", "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": "Mellody Hobson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We cannot afford to be color-blind,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-have-to-be-color-brave/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/we-cannot-afford-to-be-color-blind-we-have-to-be-color-brave/#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 } } ] } ```