--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alice thought, No. It wasn't the War and…" description: "\"Alice thought, No. It wasn't the War and the disgruntled veterans; it wasn't the droves and droves of colored people flocking to paychecks and streets ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/toni-morrison-271_dirty_alice-thought-no-it-wasn-t-the-war-and-t_1251650.jpg" --- # Alice thought, No. It wasn't the War and the disgruntled… ![“Alice thought, No. It wasn't the War and the disgruntled veterans; it wasn't the droves and droves of colored people flocking to paychecks and streets full of themselves. It was the music. The dirty, get-on-down music the women sang and the men played and both danced to, close and shamelesss or…” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/toni-morrison-271_dirty_alice-thought-no-it-wasn-t-the-war-and-t_1251650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/toni-morrison-271_dirty_alice-thought-no-it-wasn-t-the-war-and-t_1251650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/toni-morrison-271_dirty_alice-thought-no-it-wasn-t-the-war-and-t_1251650.jpg) > “Alice thought, No. It wasn't the War and the disgruntled veterans; it wasn't the droves and droves of colored people flocking to paychecks and streets full of themselves. It was the music. The dirty, get-on-down music the women sang and the men played and both danced to, close and shamelesss or apart and wild...It made you do unwise disorderly things. Just hearing it was like violating the law.” [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music can dominate emotions, prompting reckless behavior that feels like breaking rules. **In simple terms:** Music drives wild, rule‑breaking actions. Key Takeaway Recognize music’s power over behavior. Themes music emotion rebellion social influence Mood intense defiant reflective Type cultural emotional When to use this quote - clubs - festivals - protests - personal moments Key Concepts cultural expression psychology of sound collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does music affect your decisions? - When does music feel dangerous? A Different Perspective Music can also inspire positive change, not just chaos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Paychecks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paychecks/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veteran/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I got a naughty thrill out of listening to music that was that dirty, especially being that young and able to listen to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/i-got-a-naughty-thrill-out-of-listening-to-music-that-was-that-dirty/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [If people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-people-are-violating-the-law-by-doing-drugs-they-ought-to-be/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Sec. 10. Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/sec-10-besides-the-crime-which-consists-in-violating-the-law-and/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [ If they \[mexicans\] cross the border, I think, and they are violating the law, then that word criminal does connect with that violation, so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/if-they-mexicans-cross-the-border-i-think-and-they-are-violating-the/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [You cannot strengthen the law by violating the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lavrov/you-cannot-strengthen-the-law-by-violating-the-law/) [Sergei Lavrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lavrov/) > [Business owners should not have to choose between violating their faith and violating the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-green/business-owners-should-not-have-to-choose-between-violating-their/) [David Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-green/) > [Expect nothing, live frugally on surprise. 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