---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we shall have ceased to be a…"
description: "\"I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided society only when we stop making a fuss about colour.\" — Peter Hitchens"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png"
---

#  I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided…

![“I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided society only when we stop making a fuss about colour.” quote by Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png)

> “I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided society only when we stop making a fuss about colour.”

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

## About This Quote

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

A truly non‑racial society emerges only when we stop obsessing over race, suggesting that focusing on colour perpetuates division.

**In simple terms:** Equality requires moving beyond race focus.

Key Takeaway

Shift conversation from race to shared humanity.

Themes

equality social cohesion identity

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- public debate
- education reform
- community building

Key Concepts

racial discourse social policy

Questions to Reflect On

- Can we address inequality without discussing race?
- What are the risks of “color‑blind” policies?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring race can overlook systemic inequities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ceased Racially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceased-racially-1777629/) [Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/) [Divided Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided-society-1777631/) [Fuss Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fuss-colour-1777633/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Racially Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racially-divided-1777630/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Shall Ceased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-ceased-1777632/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop/)

## Related quotes

> [In a racially divided society, majority rule is not a reliable instrument of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/in-a-racially-divided-society-majority-rule-is-not-a-reliable/)

[Lani Guinier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lani-guinier/)

> [At the heart of the problem is the fact that the United States is a racially divided nation where extreme racial inequalities continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-bullard/at-the-heart-of-the-problem-is-the-fact-that-the-united-states-is-a/)

[Robert D Bullard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-bullard/)

> [“Government can only reign over a classes-divided society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/government-can-only-reign-over-a-classes-divided-society/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“The jar shall never ceased to be filled with oil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-jar-shall-never-ceased-to-be-filled-with-oil/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I grew up in an area that was the typical city that was a racially divided and economically segregated place. And it had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/i-grew-up-in-an-area-that-was-the-typical-city-that-was-a-racially/)

[Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/)

> [For then only will you be strong, when you cherish the laws, and when the revolutionary attempts of lawless men shall have ceased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschines/for-then-only-will-you-be-strong-when-you-cherish-the-laws-and-when/)

[Aeschines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschines/)

> [“When we grow in faith, the doubt shall ceased.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/when-we-grow-in-faith-the-doubt-shall-ceased/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [When you have a highly divided society, it's hard to come together to make investments in the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/when-you-have-a-highly-divided-society-it-s-hard-to-come-together-to/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [Redistribution divided society into two social classes: the beneficiaries of transfer, who are calling for ever more; and the victims, who submit unwillingly. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/redistribution-divided-society-into-two-social-classes-the/)

[Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/)

> [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Men can be divided into 2 groups: one that goes ahead and achieves something, and one that comes after and criticizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-can-be-divided-into-2-groups-one-that-goes-ahead-and-achieves/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [We have a war on women, race wars. Income wars, age wars, religious wars, anything you can imagine. A house divided against itself cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/we-have-a-war-on-women-race-wars-income-wars-age-wars-religious-wars/)

[Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

## More by Peter Hitchens

> [Direct Grants, private schools which took huge numbers of state pupils, involved effective co-operation between state and private sectors - a thing all modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/direct-grants-private-schools-which-took-huge-numbers-of-state-pupils/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Actually, I never wanted an E.U. referendum, and I think those who called for it will one day wish they hadn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/actually-i-never-wanted-an-e-u-referendum-and-i-think-those-who/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [I hate cars and wish they had never been invented. I try to use them only when I absolutely have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-hate-cars-and-wish-they-had-never-been-invented-i-try-to-use-them/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [What we need and have not got at Westminster are real experience and wisdom, possessed by people who do not view politics as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/what-we-need-and-have-not-got-at-westminster-are-real-experience-and/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The Left have always preferred the state to the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-left-have-always-preferred-the-state-to-the-family/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [“Americans may say they love our accents (I have been accused of sounding 'like Princess Di') but the more thoughtful ones resent and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/americans-may-say-they-love-our-accents-i-have-been-accused-of/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [As I am actually partly Cornish, I am frequently tempted to start some sort of Cornish liberation front in the Home Counties, where our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/as-i-am-actually-partly-cornish-i-am-frequently-tempted-to-start-some/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Fear is good and useful when it's deployed on the side of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/fear-is-good-and-useful-when-it-s-deployed-on-the-side-of-common-sense/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [It's interesting how thrillers reflect the times we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/it-s-interesting-how-thrillers-reflect-the-times-we-live-in/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Terrorists are overjoyed when we shut down our freedoms and turn ourselves into a police state and when we retaliate, swatting the Middle East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/terrorists-are-overjoyed-when-we-shut-down-our-freedoms-and-turn/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [Comprehensive schools, as too few understand, have never been designed to improve education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/comprehensive-schools-as-too-few-understand-have-never-been-designed/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [If you want a day free of work, you must expect others to have the same privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/if-you-want-a-day-free-of-work-you-must-expect-others-to-have-the/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The giant fraud that is Britain's education system strides ever onwards, messing up many more lives than it improves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-giant-fraud-that-is-britain-s-education-system-strides-ever/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [The worst country I ever lived in, the old U.S.S.R., was crammed with privileges for the political elite. They had their own hospital, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/the-worst-country-i-ever-lived-in-the-old-u-s-s-r-was-crammed-with/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

> [If a man's reputation can be destroyed in an afternoon by a secret kangaroo court, then we, too, can one day be propelled into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/if-a-man-s-reputation-can-be-destroyed-in-an-afternoon-by-a-secret/)

[Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

[Explore all 111 Peter Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/)

## More Divided quotes

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [We have a war on women, race wars. Income wars, age wars, religious wars, anything you can imagine. A house divided against itself cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/we-have-a-war-on-women-race-wars-income-wars-age-wars-religious-wars/)

[Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/)

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Men can be divided into 2 groups: one that goes ahead and achieves something, and one that comes after and criticizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-can-be-divided-into-2-groups-one-that-goes-ahead-and-achieves/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [In every European nation, there have been problems in history when the society was too divided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harri-holkeri/in-every-european-nation-there-have-been-problems-in-history-when-the/)

[Harri Holkeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harri-holkeri/)

> [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [The Oslo Accords in 1993 determined that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are a single territorial entity which cannot be divided. Immediately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-oslo-accords-in-1993-determined-that-the-gaza-strip-and-the-west/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/)

[Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [Many a professing Christian is a stumbling-block because his worship is divided. On Sunday he worships God; on weekdays God has little or no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/many-a-professing-christian-is-a-stumbling-block-because-his-worship/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/)

[Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/)

> [“The world has never been as divided as it is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-never-been-as-divided-as-it-is-now/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I never yet have known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord's people were divided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/i-never-yet-have-known-the-spirit-of-god-to-work-where-the-lord-s/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

[Browse all 1,017 Divided quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided society only when we stop making a fuss about colour.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-racially-divided-society-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Divided"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-racially-divided-society-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/peter-hitchens-4419_divided_i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-rac_2581018.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think we shall have ceased to be a racially divided society only when we stop making a fuss about colour.” — Peter Hitchens",
                "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": "Peter Hitchens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think we shall have ceased...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-racially-divided-society-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-think-we-shall-have-ceased-to-be-a-racially-divided-society-only/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
