--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At various points in my own life, I have…" description: "\"At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at scathingly for calling myself black.\" — Thomas Chatterton Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg" --- # At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at… ![“At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at scathingly for calling myself black.” quote by Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg) > “At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at scathingly for calling myself black.” [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity can be contested and mocked, yet self‑definition remains vital. **In simple terms:** Being called black can be ridiculed, but self‑identity matters. Key Takeaway Own your identity despite criticism. Themes identity race self‑definition Mood defiant reflective Type personal social When to use this quote - family gatherings - public speaking - online discussions - activism - education Key Concepts social perception racial identity personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when your identity is mocked? - What role does community play in affirming identity? A Different Perspective Critics may dismiss identity claims as superficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Calling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling/) [Calling Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling-black-3522875/) [Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed/) [Laughed Scathingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed-scathingly-4026031/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-laughed-2737048/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Scathingly Calling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scathingly-calling-4026032/) ## Related quotes > [I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-am-going-to-stop-calling-you-a-white-man-and-i-m-going-to-ask-you/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [“Are you committed to having a really strange life?" She laughed. "Probably. What do you mean?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mckenzie/are-you-committed-to-having-a-really-strange-life-she-laughed/) [Elizabeth Mckenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mckenzie/) > [Someone told me to tell a joke so I said My love life and I laughed and laughed until those laughs turned into sad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/someone-told-me-to-tell-a-joke-so-i-said-my-love-life-and-i-laughed/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [I remember seeing Richard Pryor's first movie; it was a midnight movie when I was in high school. I must have been about fifteen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/i-remember-seeing-richard-pryor-s-first-movie-it-was-a-midnight-movie/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [If you can think of all the times in your life, some of the happiest times were probably when you were laughing. And some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/if-you-can-think-of-all-the-times-in-your-life-some-of-the-happiest/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [“„This is what people do here?” „It's a little more complicated than that.” „Everything seems complicated here,” he grumbled. „That"s life,” I laughed. „Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jus-accardo/this-is-what-people-do-here-it-s-a-little-more-complicated-than-that/) [Jus Accardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jus-accardo/) > [But he stays by the window, remembering that life. They had laughed. They had leaned on each other and laughed until the tears had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/but-he-stays-by-the-window-remembering-that-life-they-had-laughed/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [When my friend asked me why I dont just go talk to him, I replied, He has a life. She laughed at me, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaimie-fayt/when-my-friend-asked-me-why-i-dont-just-go-talk-to-him-i-replied-he/) [Jaimie Fayt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaimie-fayt/) > [“Maddi glared at him. "Thats why your not built like Alden. French fries." Race laughed. "Id love to look like Alden. Hot female speakers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lindsey/maddi-glared-at-him-thats-why-your-not-built-like-alden-french-fries/) [Mary Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lindsey/) > [To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-laugh-often-and-love-much-to-win-the-respect-of-intelligent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Pink Panther wasn't shown to the press for reasons that soon became apparent when I saw it at a public performance. Two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-french/the-pink-panther-wasn-t-shown-to-the-press-for-reasons-that-soon/) [Philip French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-french/) > [Once you realize that documentation should be laughed at, peed upon, put on fire, and just ridiculed in general, then, and only then, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/once-you-realize-that-documentation-should-be-laughed-at-peed-upon/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [We laughed the rest of the way, because the point of this story is, it is not the cookies. It is the love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/we-laughed-the-rest-of-the-way-because-the-point-of-this-story-is-it/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“They laughed, but I was melancholy. The remnants of Rome always make me sad, simply because they are proof that we slide inexorably towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/they-laughed-but-i-was-melancholy-the-remnants-of-rome-always-make-me/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Thomas Chatterton Williams > [Pent-up white racism did fire Mr. Trump's candidacy, and he happily fanned the flames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/pent-up-white-racism-did-fire-mr-trump-s-candidacy-and-he-happily/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I do think that some form of reparations for the descendants of American slavery would go a long way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-do-think-that-some-form-of-reparations-for-the-descendants-of/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [The ideal post-Trump politician will, at the very least, be a deeply serious figure with a strong record of public service behind her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/the-ideal-post-trump-politician-will-at-the-very-least-be-a-deeply/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I think that unlearning race for black people is more along the lines of seriously saying blackness isn't real, race isn't real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-think-that-unlearning-race-for-black-people-is-more-along-the-lines/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [If the idea of separate human races is a mistake to begin with, then monoracial forms of identification are fictitious and counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/if-the-idea-of-separate-human-races-is-a-mistake-to-begin-with-then/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [Paris has long been a palimpsest of different cities, each new iteration grafted on top of the still visible last, spanning the extremes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/paris-has-long-been-a-palimpsest-of-different-cities-each-new/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I've been socially deemed black in America, and this is a category that's been hurting my family for generations and that has also led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-ve-been-socially-deemed-black-in-america-and-this-is-a-category/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [The French, whose fascination with 19th-century Japanese painting and decorative art led them to coin the term 'Japonisme,' have reciprocated the interest, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/the-french-whose-fascination-with-19th-century-japanese-painting-and/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [White people have basically been encouraged for most of recent history in America to think of themselves as outside of race. White people do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/white-people-have-basically-been-encouraged-for-most-of-recent/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [Well, I think that hip-hop is not just a music. It's really a culture and it's a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/well-i-think-that-hip-hop-is-not-just-a-music-it-s-really-a-culture/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I had the benefit, I'll say it, of coming up behind my brother and seeing what he went through and just simply trying do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-had-the-benefit-i-ll-say-it-of-coming-up-behind-my-brother-and/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [It is mind-blowing to pause and think that a film as forward-facing and potent as 'Do the Right Thing' was released the same year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/it-is-mind-blowing-to-pause-and-think-that-a-film-as-forward-facing/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I write a lot about race precisely because I don't believe it's real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-write-a-lot-about-race-precisely-because-i-don-t-believe-it-s-real/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [If the first year of the Trump administration has made anything clear, it's that experience, knowledge, education and political wisdom matter tremendously. Governing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/if-the-first-year-of-the-trump-administration-has-made-anything-clear/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [Traveling through France in regular times, for better or worse, I am simply perceived as an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/traveling-through-france-in-regular-times-for-better-or-worse-i-am/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) [Explore all 98 Thomas Chatterton Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at scathingly for calling myself black.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Chatterton Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have-been-laughed-at-scathingly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have-been-laughed-at-scathingly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/thomas-chatterton-williams-673_black_at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have_1263503.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At various points in my own life, I have been laughed at scathingly for calling myself black.” — Thomas Chatterton Williams", "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": "Thomas Chatterton Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At various points in my own...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have-been-laughed-at-scathingly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/at-various-points-in-my-own-life-i-have-been-laughed-at-scathingly/#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 } } ] } ```