--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this country American means white…" description: "\"In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.\" — Toni Morrison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/toni-morrison-271_american_in-this-country-american-means-white-eve_3202747.jpg" --- # In this country American means white. Everybody else has… ![“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/toni-morrison-271_american_in-this-country-american-means-white-eve_3202747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/toni-morrison-271_american_in-this-country-american-means-white-eve_3202747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/toni-morrison-271_american_in-this-country-american-means-white-eve_3202747.jpg) > “In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” [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. In this context, “American” is equated with whiteness, forcing other groups to be labeled with hyphenated identities. **In simple terms:** American identity is linked to whiteness, marginalizing others. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge racial labeling. Themes race identity labeling Mood critical thoughtful Type social political When to use this quote - education - media - policy - community dialogue Key Concepts critical race theory social constructs Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect self-perception? - What steps can broaden inclusive identity? A Different Perspective Not all Americans fit this narrow view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-means-410040/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Everybody Hyphenate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-hyphenate-5952522/) [Hyphenate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyphenate-2675061/) [Means White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-white-1619438/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [American means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves with ethnicity and hyphen after hyphen after hyphen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/american-means-white-and-africanist-people-struggle-to-make-the-term/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I'm blue collar, which means white trash with a job. But it also means people who take pride in what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/i-m-blue-collar-which-means-white-trash-with-a-job-but-it-also-means/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [“Why hyphenate, why parenthesize, unless absolutely necessary?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-hyphenate-why-parenthesize-unless-absolutely-necessary/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I enjoy being a hyphenate. I've always thought of my career as a plate spinner in the circus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-enjoy-being-a-hyphenate-i-ve-always-thought-of-my-career-as-a-plate/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [People of color understand what it means to be white more than I ever will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/people-of-color-understand-what-it-means-to-be-white-more-than-i-ever/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) > [“I was successful and acceptable and loved because I was—and still am—great at negotiating with whiteness. But that means my white friends often mistakenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-was-successful-and-acceptable-and-loved-because-i-was-and-still-am/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Being a melting pot is what I think is great about being American, and also that we get to do something that other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-michael-key/being-a-melting-pot-is-what-i-think-is-great-about-being-american-and/) [Keegan-Michael Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-michael-key/) > [There's something really natural to me about being what they call in the business a "hyphenate." Being a musician-actor or writer-musician-actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-kirke/there-s-something-really-natural-to-me-about-being-what-they-call-in/) [Lola Kirke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-kirke/) > [Being an American means never having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-an-american-means-never-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Natural-born American means you don't have to be naturalized. You were born to an American mother, like President Obama, no matter where you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/natural-born-american-means-you-don-t-have-to-be-naturalized-you-were/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [Americanization means the process of becoming an American. It means civic incorporation, becoming a part of the polity - becoming one of us. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/americanization-means-the-process-of-becoming-an-american-it-means/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [“The idea of preventive medicine is faintly un-American. It means, first, recognizing that the enemy is us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/1975-chicago-tribune/the-idea-of-preventive-medicine-is-faintly-un-american-it-means-first/) [1975 Chicago Tribune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/1975-chicago-tribune/) > [Look, if America - if being an American means anything, it means not having to lie under oath, not even for the president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-tripp/look-if-america-if-being-an-american-means-anything-it-means-not/) [Linda Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-tripp/) > [If you call yourself an American that means that you have embraced the constitution, because that is what an American is. A citizen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/if-you-call-yourself-an-american-that-means-that-you-have-embraced/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [Being American means you never have to say you surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/being-american-means-you-never-have-to-say-you-surrender/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## More by Toni Morrison > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Not know it was hard;knowing it was harder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/not-know-it-was-hard-knowing-it-was-harder/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Didn’t everything on God’s earth have or acquire defense?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/didn-t-everything-on-god-s-earth-have-or-acquire-defense/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-looked-at-them-and-wondered-why-the-were-so-ugly-you-looked/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/all-she-saw-down-in-the-cellar-well-beneath-the-stoop-was-a-light/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/for-me-art-is-the-restoration-of-order-it-may-discuss-all-sort-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/to-sethe-the-future-was-a-matter-of-keeping-the-past-at-bay/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/hate-does-that-burns-off-everything-but-itself-so-whatever-your/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-know-how-a-star-is-supposed-to-twinkle-we-say-twinkle-because/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/my-father-saw-two-black-men-lynched-on-his-street-in-cartersville-as/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/she-was-fierce-in-the-presence-of-death-heroic-even-as-she-was-at-no/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Explore all 774 Toni Morrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In this country American means white. 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