--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have you ever met a slave, Luke?\" she…" description: "\"“Have you ever met a slave, Luke?\" she asked. The question took me aback, coming from a black person. I stammered out a no. She said, \"Really? You've n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg" --- # Have you ever met a slave, Luke?" she asked. The question… ![“Have you ever met a slave, Luke?" she asked. The question took me aback, coming from a black person. I stammered out a no. She said, "Really? You've never been to a mall? You've never watched shoppers with their carts piled with soda and microwaveable food? You've never stayed in a hotel where a…” quote by Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg) > ““Have you ever met a slave, Luke?" she asked. The question took me aback, coming from a black person. I stammered out a no. She said, "Really? You've never been to a mall? You've never watched shoppers with their carts piled with soda and microwaveable food? You've never stayed in a hotel where a fifty-year-old Mexican mother of six scrubs your shit stains off the toilet bowl? You've never watched TV for five hours straight?”” [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage uses a provocative dialogue to highlight how everyday comforts can blind people to systemic oppression and privilege. **In simple terms:** Everyday comforts can mask awareness of oppression. Key Takeaway Reflect on hidden privileges in daily life. Themes social justice privilege awareness culture Mood critical thought‑provoking Type social reflective When to use this quote - education workshops - diversity training - personal reflection - media analysis Key Concepts systemic oppression everyday bias empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize privilege without alienating others? - What everyday habits reveal hidden biases? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-question/) [Black person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-person/) [Luke Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luke-asked-503649/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Question Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-took-4717750/) ## Related quotes > [“She doesn’t even have shoes on” He was trying to reconcile something in his head while talking to Luke. “In all the time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-lynne-duncan/she-doesn-t-even-have-shoes-on-he-was-trying-to-reconcile-something/) [Jenna-Lynne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-lynne-duncan/) > [“Luke,” she asked, going slowly for fear of ridicule, “why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/luke-she-asked-going-slowly-for-fear-of-ridicule-why-do-people-want/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why did you think my reason for being here had something to do with Frannie?” Luke asked. “Because she’s what we all have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/why-did-you-think-my-reason-for-being-here-had-something-to-do-with/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [When I'm asked that question, I refuse to answer because if I give up the answer, what they gonna talk about? lol (On if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-monroe/when-i-m-asked-that-question-i-refuse-to-answer-because-if-i-give-up/) [Lola Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-monroe/) > [Maybe you've had the experience where somebody's asked you a question and you give an answer, then later in the day you think, "Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/maybe-you-ve-had-the-experience-where-somebody-s-asked-you-a-question/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [When it came to the on-camera TV stuff, I'd be standing next to the director, my friend, and he'd be asked a question that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/when-it-came-to-the-on-camera-tv-stuff-i-d-be-standing-next-to-the/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [“Do you ask 'Nu' of? Or do you ask, transitively? 'Nu?' he asked. And is it even a question in the accepted sense? 'Nu,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobsen/do-you-ask-nu-of-or-do-you-ask-transitively-nu-he-asked-and-is-it/) [Howard Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobsen/) > [What excites me? Had you asked me that question a few years ago, the answer would’ve rolled right off my tongue. Today, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/what-excites-me-had-you-asked-me-that-question-a-few-years-ago-the/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [If you do not like the answer, you shouldn't have asked the question!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-do-not-like-the-answer-you-shouldn-t-have-asked-the-question/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that question... wait a minute, I do have a dollar for every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-skiles/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-someone-asked-me-that-question-wait/) [Scott Skiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-skiles/) > [That awkward moment when you asked a question and no one responded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-asked-a-question-and-no-one-responded/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somebody asked me the question not too long ago: 'Dave, do you think the music business has turned corrupt.' I said: 'Absolutely not -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee-roth/somebody-asked-me-the-question-not-too-long-ago-dave-do-you-think-the/) [David Lee Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee-roth/) > [People ask me all the time how I got hired onto the Office. Another common question is how do I manage to stay so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/people-ask-me-all-the-time-how-i-got-hired-onto-the-office-another/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Someone once asked me, Have you ever fallen in love? Then I answered, Of course, once. Then they asked me another question: Did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/someone-once-asked-me-have-you-ever-fallen-in-love-then-i-answered-of/) [Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/) > [Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven't asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go. It hits your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/questions-are-places-in-your-mind-where-answers-fit-if-you-haven-t/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) ## More by Ryan Boudinot > [“Neethan is a tall dude, six-eight, and watching him come out of a limo is like watching a cleverly designed Japanese toy robot arachnid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/neethan-is-a-tall-dude-six-eight-and-watching-him-come-out-of-a-limo/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“Anytime things were going right for you, the future of the world seemed bright. Anytime they were going wrong, the imminent collapse of civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/anytime-things-were-going-right-for-you-the-future-of-the-world/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“I pity the foo who kills all the Jews.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/i-pity-the-foo-who-kills-all-the-jews/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“By now, sympathy for the plight of the polar bears had largely disappeared from public discourse. Instead of beautiful mammals deserving of out preservation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/by-now-sympathy-for-the-plight-of-the-polar-bears-had-largely/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“According to Beth-Anne, the next reporter is Nico Renault from Hollywood Japan Network. Nico's recently had his face tattooed to look like the Kabuki-made-up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/according-to-beth-anne-the-next-reporter-is-nico-renault-from/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“The world is full of precious garbage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/the-world-is-full-of-precious-garbage/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“Message: I can make fun of myself despite my perfection: I am more like you in this regard: it's safe for you to like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/message-i-can-make-fun-of-myself-despite-my-perfection-i-am-more-like/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“Did you know that the fundamental building blocks of life are not cells, are not DNA are not even carbon but language yeah 'cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/did-you-know-that-the-fundamental-building-blocks-of-life-are-not/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“The man behind the counter seemed to have stopped listening to him. He slid a room key across the fake-wood-grain counter and returned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/the-man-behind-the-counter-seemed-to-have-stopped-listening-to-him-he/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“. . . waves of desert heat . . . I must’ve passed out, because when I woke up I was shivering and stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/waves-of-desert-heat-i-must-ve-passed-out-because-when-i-woke-up-i/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) > [“He spent the afternoon watching the indicator light turn from red to orange to green and thought about how useless it was to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/he-spent-the-afternoon-watching-the-indicator-light-turn-from-red-to/) [Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) [Explore all 12 Ryan Boudinot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/) ## More Black person quotes > [I don't understand how any black person can tell me that they're not pro-gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-don-t-understand-how-any-black-person-can-tell-me-that-they-re-not/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [For me, music doesn't have a color. 'Teen Spirit' is a fire song made by a white guy that me as a black person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldlink/for-me-music-doesn-t-have-a-color-teen-spirit-is-a-fire-song-made-by/) [Goldlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldlink/) > [I don't think I'm really so unique. If every black person looked at their life they would quickly discover that they have been influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/i-don-t-think-i-m-really-so-unique-if-every-black-person-looked-at/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/no-poor-rural-weak-or-black-person-should-ever-again-have-to-bear-the/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“Athletes, we were supposed to just be there, and in class I made it a point that I was prepared for every exam, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-wilkens/athletes-we-were-supposed-to-just-be-there-and-in-class-i-made-it-a/) [Lenny Wilkens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-wilkens/) > [...people will go for anything they don't understand if it's got enough hype. They want to be hip, want always to be in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/people-will-go-for-anything-they-don-t-understand-if-it-s-got-enough/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [I don't understand most blacks, they think that it's all white peoples fault. All this is just distraction from what's really happening in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-davoti/i-don-t-understand-most-blacks-they-think-that-it-s-all-white-peoples/) [Kristen Davoti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-davoti/) > [Sometimes, you feel like, 'Am I going to be upset about this as a black person or as a woman first? Or am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-williams/sometimes-you-feel-like-am-i-going-to-be-upset-about-this-as-a-black/) [Jessica Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-williams/) > [“If you’re telling a non-black person about something racist that happened to you, make sure you are not bitter. Don’t complain. Be forgiving. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-re-telling-a-non-black-person-about-something-racist-that/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I'm not an urban black person. I'm a country black person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-m-not-an-urban-black-person-i-m-a-country-black-person/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [“In the weeks leading up to the Detroit rebellion, three incidents exacerbated racial tensions. On June 12, a mob of more than eighty whites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bloom/in-the-weeks-leading-up-to-the-detroit-rebellion-three-incidents/) [Joshua Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bloom/) > [My dad was very, very invested in image. He felt that as a black person, the thing you could control was how did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/my-dad-was-very-very-invested-in-image-he-felt-that-as-a-black-person/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I would like to flood South Africa with black personages of all sorts of persuasions: writers, educators, businessmen, you name it. If you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/i-would-like-to-flood-south-africa-with-black-personages-of-all-sorts/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-never-with-my-eyes-saw-the-mistreatment-of-any-black-person/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) [Browse all 244 Black person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Have you ever met a slave, Luke?\" she asked. The question took me aback, coming from a black person. I stammered out a no. She said, \"Really? You've never been to a mall? You've never watched shoppers with their carts piled with soda and microwaveable food? You've never stayed in a hotel where a fifty-year-old Mexican mother of six scrubs your shit stains off the toilet bowl? You've never watched TV for five hours straight?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Boudinot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked-the-question-took-me-aback/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked-the-question-took-me-aback/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/774/ryan-boudinot-37503_black-person_have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked_1370487.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Have you ever met a slave, Luke?\" she asked. The question took me aback, coming from a black person. I…” — Ryan Boudinot", "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": "Ryan Boudinot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Have you ever met a slave,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked-the-question-took-me-aback/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/have-you-ever-met-a-slave-luke-she-asked-the-question-took-me-aback/#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 } } ] } ```