--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each and every one of us is born with a…" description: "\"Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our babies know nothing about hate or racism. But soon they begin to learn – and only from us. We ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/ruby-bridges-8771_alive_each-and-every-one-of-us-is-born-with-a_1764705.jpg" --- # Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our… ![“Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our babies know nothing about hate or racism. But soon they begin to learn – and only from us. We keep racism alive. We pass it on to our children. We owe it to our children to help them keep their clean start.” quote by Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/ruby-bridges-8771_alive_each-and-every-one-of-us-is-born-with-a_1764705.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/ruby-bridges-8771_alive_each-and-every-one-of-us-is-born-with-a_1764705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/ruby-bridges-8771_alive_each-and-every-one-of-us-is-born-with-a_1764705.jpg) > “Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our babies know nothing about hate or racism. But soon they begin to learn – and only from us. We keep racism alive. We pass it on to our children. We owe it to our children to help them keep their clean start.” [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children are born innocent; societal prejudice is taught, and we must protect their purity by modeling love. **In simple terms:** Kids start pure; we teach them hate. Key Takeaway Teach love, not hate. Themes innocence racism education parenting Mood hopeful determined Type activist educational When to use this quote - parenting - education - community activism - anti‑racism programs Key Concepts social psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we model inclusive behavior for children? - What actions can we take to break cycles of prejudice? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted biases is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-clean-1724177/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Clean heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-heart/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Babies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-babies-1724179/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Learn Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-racism-1724178/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [People learn racism through dialogue. Somebody tells them about it. So if you can learn it through dialogue, you can also unlearn it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/people-learn-racism-through-dialogue-somebody-tells-them-about-it-so/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I photograph from the heart. I adore little babies and I think that shows. My images are really very positive, very simple, and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-geddes/i-photograph-from-the-heart-i-adore-little-babies-and-i-think-that/) [Anne Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-geddes/) > [Nobody else can give you a clean heart but God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/nobody-else-can-give-you-a-clean-heart-but-god/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [Clean hearts and healthful food, exercise, early sleep and fresh air, wholesome recreation and meditation combined with optimism that comes from fighting for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/clean-hearts-and-healthful-food-exercise-early-sleep-and-fresh-air/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [I mean, I know my heart is not clean, and your heart is not clean, and none of our urban hearts are clean. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-mean-i-know-my-heart-is-not-clean-and-your-heart-is-not-clean-and/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [A clean heart can see God, can speak to God, and can see the love of God in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/a-clean-heart-can-see-god-can-speak-to-god-and-can-see-the-love-of/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“The complexity of your earthly array is not a guarantee for a truimphant eternity. The fact is that you need a simple life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-complexity-of-your-earthly-array-is-not-a-guarantee-for-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Ones clean heart gives him a clear vision with an open mind to sense every lifes obstacle as an opportunity in his soul to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/ones-clean-heart-gives-him-a-clear-vision-with-an-open-mind-to-sense/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [Soft speech, Clean heart, Peaceful eyes, Focused mind, Faith on GOD & Determined decision Always makes You WINNER..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/soft-speech-clean-heart-peaceful-eyes-focused-mind-faith-on-god/) [Azgraybebly Joslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azgraybebly-joslan/) > [Key to more success is a clean heart and a clean face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/key-to-more-success-is-a-clean-heart-and-a-clean-face/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [Having a dirty mind is okay, but having a clean heart is important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/having-a-dirty-mind-is-okay-but-having-a-clean-heart-is-important/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Start your day with a clean heart; end your day with a revived mind!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/start-your-day-with-a-clean-heart-end-your-day-with-a-revived-mind/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [If we really want to pray we must first learn to listen, for in the silence of the heart God speaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/if-we-really-want-to-pray-we-must-first-learn-to-listen-for-in-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Respect from the clean heart for the people who are ethically right opens the door of mind to see own life in the clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/respect-from-the-clean-heart-for-the-people-who-are-ethically-right/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [“One entry was entitled: "About God": "This thought has been ascribed to Voltaire: If God did not exist, mankind would have invented Him. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-pontoppidan/one-entry-was-entitled-about-god-this-thought-has-been-ascribed-to/) [Henrik Pontoppidan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-pontoppidan/) ## More by Ruby Bridges > [My family - my mother and father had gone through such a hard time that by the time I graduated from sixth grade, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/my-family-my-mother-and-father-had-gone-through-such-a-hard-time-that/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [The people I passed every morning as I walked up the school's steps were full of hate. They were white, but so was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/the-people-i-passed-every-morning-as-i-walked-up-the-school-s-steps/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [I was the first black child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana in 1960.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-was-the-first-black-child-to-desegregate-the-all-white-william/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [I believe in my prayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-believe-in-my-prayers/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [As African-Americans, people of that generation felt pretty much if they were going to see changes in the world, they had to make sacrifices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/as-african-americans-people-of-that-generation-felt-pretty-much-if/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [If you really think about it, if we begin to teach history exactly the way that it happened - good, bad, ugly, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/if-you-really-think-about-it-if-we-begin-to-teach-history-exactly-the/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [Evil isn't prejudiced. It doesn't care what you look like; it just wants a place to rest. It's up to you whether you give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/evil-isn-t-prejudiced-it-doesn-t-care-what-you-look-like-it-just/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [All of our schools should be good enough to attract a healthy racial mix, which, I believe, leads to the most effective learning for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/all-of-our-schools-should-be-good-enough-to-attract-a-healthy-racial/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [We as African Americans knew that if we wanted to see change, we had to step up to the plate and make that change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/we-as-african-americans-knew-that-if-we-wanted-to-see-change-we-had/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [I believe that we have to come together, and we have to rely on the goodness of each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-believe-that-we-have-to-come-together-and-we-have-to-rely-on-the/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [My mother had taught me that the only thing you could depend on was your faith, and I had that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/my-mother-had-taught-me-that-the-only-thing-you-could-depend-on-was/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [There are all kinds of monuments to adults - usually dead and usually white. But we don't often lift up the extraordinary work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/there-are-all-kinds-of-monuments-to-adults-usually-dead-and-usually/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [You cannot look at a person and judge him or her by the color of their skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/you-cannot-look-at-a-person-and-judge-him-or-her-by-the-color-of/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [The greatest lesson I learned that year in Mrs. Henry's class was the lesson Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to teach us all:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/the-greatest-lesson-i-learned-that-year-in-mrs-henry-s-class-was-the/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [I want to inspire kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-want-to-inspire-kids/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) [Explore all 78 Ruby Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our babies know nothing about hate or racism. But soon they begin to learn – and only from us. We keep racism alive. We pass it on to our children. 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