--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In certain quarters, conservatism is…" description: "\"In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name. And minorities who openly identify themselves as conservatives are still novelties,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png" --- # In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by… ![“In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name. And minorities who openly identify themselves as conservatives are still novelties, fish out of water.” quote by Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png) > “In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name. And minorities who openly identify themselves as conservatives are still novelties, fish out of water.” [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservatism is often a rebranded form of racism, marginalizing minorities who identify as conservatives. **In simple terms:** Conservatism can hide racism; minorities feel out of place. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge hidden biases. Themes politics identity racism minorities Mood critical reflective Type political social When to use this quote - political debates - media analysis - community outreach Key Concepts systemic bias social labeling Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect political discourse? - Can minorities reshape conservative narratives? A Different Perspective Not all conservatives hold racist views; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Conservatism Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism-simply-5206779/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Identify Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identify-conservatives-5206778/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [Quarters Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quarters-conservatism-2365797/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [Just as liberalism is the main force that drives conservatism and maintains its popularity in some quarters, conservatism is the reason liberalism continues to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/just-as-liberalism-is-the-main-force-that-drives-conservatism-and/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [People who identify themselves as conservatives donate money to charity more often than people who identify themselves as liberals. They donate more money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/people-who-identify-themselves-as-conservatives-donate-money-to/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It is a striking example of modern conservatism's emphasis on the moral worth of the individual. ... When I look at the debate over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-ponnuru/it-is-a-striking-example-of-modern-conservatism-s-emphasis-on-the/) [Ramesh Ponnuru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-ponnuru/) > [“...We are reviled, much like black conservatives and any other minority group that says ‘no’ to the Left’s victimhood politics…It’s amazing that being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-moore/we-are-reviled-much-like-black-conservatives-and-any-other-minority/) [Chadwick Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-moore/) > [The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a complex system designed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-but-conservatives-who/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [The ur-conservatives of the 1950s - William F. Buckley Jr., Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and all the rest - were revolting not against a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-ur-conservatives-of-the-1950s-william-f-buckley-jr-barry/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [“The left loses most policy debates, leading them to engage in the politics of personal destruction. Many liberals do not see conservatives as human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-loses-most-policy-debates-leading-them-to-engage-in-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [I think, any politician, you have to hold them to their word. And conservatives run on fiscal conservatism. .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-think-any-politician-you-have-to-hold-them-to-their-word-and/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [I think if conservatives spent more time planting trees the world would be a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/i-think-if-conservatives-spent-more-time-planting-trees-the-world/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“Companies made money and were beholden to stockholders; it was understandable if they tried to “cover their ass,” people told me. But the government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/companies-made-money-and-were-beholden-to-stockholders-it-was/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rosen/conservatives-believe-in-equality-of-opportunity-liberals-believe-in/) [Mike Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rosen/) > [The neo-conservatives, who are closely linked to the neo-corporatists, are rather different. They claim to be conservatives, when everything they stand for is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/the-neo-conservatives-who-are-closely-linked-to-the-neo-corporatists/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [“The left wants, needs, loves, and exacerbates violent conflict. The question is…why?...Conservatives generally want policy discussions because we disagree with liberals. Liberals need gutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-wants-needs-loves-and-exacerbates-violent-conflict-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [“Liberals are more likely to see people as victims of circumstance and oppression, and doubt whether individuals can climb without governmental help. My own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-brooks/liberals-are-more-likely-to-see-people-as-victims-of-circumstance-and/) [Arthur C. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-brooks/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Shelby Steele > [When blacks become humanly visible, when their true beliefs are known, their mask shatters and their symbiotic bond with whites is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/when-blacks-become-humanly-visible-when-their-true-beliefs-are-known/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-alienated-myself-from-the-academic-world-almost-entirely-because-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Freedom is just freedom. It is a condition, not an agent of change. It does not develop or uplift those who win it. Freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/freedom-is-just-freedom-it-is-a-condition-not-an-agent-of-change-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [In Vietnam, America fought one whose communism was driven by an underlying nationalism, the desire to live free of the West. Whatever one may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-vietnam-america-fought-one-whose-communism-was-driven-by-an/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Our great presidents have been stewards, men who broadly identified with the whole of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/our-great-presidents-have-been-stewards-men-who-broadly-identified/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [No doubt Israel and America have made mistakes in the Middle East. Certainly, Israel was born at the price of considerable dislocation and suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/no-doubt-israel-and-america-have-made-mistakes-in-the-middle-east/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [And if you want to make many of our black leaders angry, just tell them that racism is not the number problem that black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/and-if-you-want-to-make-many-of-our-black-leaders-angry-just-tell/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Thomas Sowell, among many others, has articulated the power of individual responsibility as an antidote to black poverty for over 40 years. Black thinkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/thomas-sowell-among-many-others-has-articulated-the-power-of/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton cannot write a timeless letter to us from a Birmingham jail or walk, as John Lewis did in 1965,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/jesse-jackson-and-al-sharpton-cannot-write-a-timeless-letter-to-us/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [My father bought three ramshackle houses, rebuilt them, rented them out, kept clawing his way up the ladder. A man with a third grade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/my-father-bought-three-ramshackle-houses-rebuilt-them-rented-them-out/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Whatever I'm doing, I try to write well. I try to give the reader a nice, clean well-written surface, where the writing is transparent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/whatever-i-m-doing-i-try-to-write-well-i-try-to-give-the-reader-a/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [We have laws on the books. If somebody's discriminating against you, I strongly advocate suing them. That's the most effective thing you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/we-have-laws-on-the-books-if-somebody-s-discriminating-against-you-i/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [The first thing I ever heard about Barack Obama was that he had a white mother and a black father. Interestingly, the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/the-first-thing-i-ever-heard-about-barack-obama-was-that-he-had-a/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Racism is endemic to the human condition, just as stupidity is. We will always have to be on guard against it. But now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/racism-is-endemic-to-the-human-condition-just-as-stupidity-is-we-will/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Without an ugly America to loathe, there is no automatic esteem to receive. Thus liberalism's unrelenting current of anti-Americanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/without-an-ugly-america-to-loathe-there-is-no-automatic-esteem-to/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) [Explore all 132 Shelby Steele quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## More Conservatism quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Conservatism aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/) [William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/) > [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) > [Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/conservatism-is-affecting-the-way-women-perceive-who-they-are-in-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Admirers can be a tremendous force for conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/admirers-can-be-a-tremendous-force-for-conservatism/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/a-liberal-is-only-a-bundle-of-prejudices-until-he-has-mastered-has/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [“At the time, he told his children to watch themselves, to understand that the tides of conservatism came and went and if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/at-the-time-he-told-his-children-to-watch-themselves-to-understand/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/conservatism-is-the-worship-of-dead-revolutions/) [Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/) > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effected by the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education, seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/social-and-cultural-change-however-desirable-should-not-be-effected/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [If Theresa May is big enough to admit her mistakes and put a kinder Conservatism into the heart of her government, she may survive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/if-theresa-may-is-big-enough-to-admit-her-mistakes-and-put-a-kinder/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) [Browse all 522 Conservatism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name. And minorities who openly identify themselves as conservatives are still novelties, fish out of water.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shelby Steele" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simply-racism-by-another-name-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conservatism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simply-racism-by-another-name-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/shelby-steele-3370_conservatism_in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simp_3072833.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name. And minorities who openly identify…” — Shelby Steele", "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": "Shelby Steele", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In certain quarters, conservatism is simply...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simply-racism-by-another-name-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/in-certain-quarters-conservatism-is-simply-racism-by-another-name-and/#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 } } ] } ```