--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bottom line about the information…" description: "\"The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recog..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg" --- # The bottom line about the information possessed by… ![“The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recognized by the academic establishment; in effect, the color of the skin guarantees scientific objectivity.” quote by Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg) > “The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recognized by the academic establishment; in effect, the color of the skin guarantees scientific objectivity.” [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Academic validation is often biased toward white scholars, marginalizing non‑Western knowledge. **In simple terms:** White scholars dominate validation of non‑Western info. Key Takeaway Challenge systemic bias in academia. Themes bias authority knowledge colonialism Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - research publishing - curriculum design - policy making - cross‑cultural collaboration Key Concepts epistemic injustice academic gatekeeping cultural hegemony Questions to Reflect On - How can non‑Western scholars gain recognition? - What structures perpetuate this bias? A Different Perspective Changing validation standards is complex and slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Bottom line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Color Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color-skin/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Establishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment/) [Guarantees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarantees/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Valid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-valid-5950225/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Objectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectivity/) [Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Scientific Objectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-objectivity-1768868/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-scholar-5950224/) ## Related quotes > [“Are you really surprised by the endurance of religion? What ideology is likely to be more durable than one that conforms, at every turn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/are-you-really-surprised-by-the-endurance-of-religion-what-ideology/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Many of us who read the literature of social science as laymen are conscious of being admitted at a door which bears the watchword…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/many-of-us-who-read-the-literature-of-social-science-as-laymen-are/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [“Scientific objectivity is one of our most deeply held, and crippling, illusions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/scientific-objectivity-is-one-of-our-most-deeply-held-and-crippling/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [The old scientific ideal of episteme - of absolutely certain, demonstrable knowledge - has proved to be an idol. The demand for scientific objectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-old-scientific-ideal-of-episteme-of-absolutely-certain/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Paid product endorsements, especially by real or purported experts, constitute a steady rainfall of deception. They betray contempt for the intelligence of their customers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/paid-product-endorsements-especially-by-real-or-purported-experts/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I am looked at as an African American guy because of the color of my skin. I am darker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/i-am-looked-at-as-an-african-american-guy-because-of-the-color-of-my/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [ \[Islam\] is not measured by the color of his skin. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/islam-is-not-measured-by-the-color-of-his-skin/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“I embrace and celebrate the color of my skin. Why should I reject the skin color that reflects the work my ancestors did tending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-thoughtful-beast/i-embrace-and-celebrate-the-color-of-my-skin-why-should-i-reject-the/) [The Thoughtful Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-thoughtful-beast/) > [I've worked at a Game Stop and had my service turned down before because of the color of my skin. And it's a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-fisher/i-ve-worked-at-a-game-stop-and-had-my-service-turned-down-before/) [Jordan Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-fisher/) > [People want to peg you as alternative R&B when they hear soul or see the color of your skin. It's comfortable when people see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/people-want-to-peg-you-as-alternative-r-b-when-they-hear-soul-or-see/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [“I don't hate any man because of the color of his skin...I look at a man's heart, I watch his actions, and I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akbar-muhammed/i-don-t-hate-any-man-because-of-the-color-of-his-skin-i-look-at-a-man/) [Akbar Muhammed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akbar-muhammed/) > [I have learned to master the art of being different and to prove that it has nothing to do with the color of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-learned-to-master-the-art-of-being-different-and-to-prove-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People are valuable regardless of the color of their skin. You can be open about it and talk about it. You don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-c-mullen/people-are-valuable-regardless-of-the-color-of-their-skin-you-can-be/) [Nicole C. Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-c-mullen/) > [People moving out, people moving in. Why? Because the color of their skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-temptations/people-moving-out-people-moving-in-why-because-the-color-of-their-skin/) [The Temptations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-temptations/) > [Judging someone by the color of their skin is ignorant. Their skin complexion has nothing to do with their morals, beliefs or intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judging-someone-by-the-color-of-their-skin-is-ignorant-their-skin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Vine Deloria Jr > [Royalty has always been an unconscious but all-consuming goal of the European immigrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/royalty-has-always-been-an-unconscious-but-all-consuming-goal-of-the/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [ For some unknown reason, this \[antiabortion\] branch of Christianity cherishes the unborn and hates the living person. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/for-some-unknown-reason-this-antiabortion-branch-of-christianity/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Not only did secular scientists rout the Christian fundamentalists, they placed themselves in the posture of knowing more, on the basis of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/not-only-did-secular-scientists-rout-the-christian-fundamentalists/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [It is this subtle dimension of understanding that marks the southwestern Indian peoples from other religions and separates tribal peoples from the world's religions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/it-is-this-subtle-dimension-of-understanding-that-marks-the/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [These Indians are fierce, they wear feathers and grunt. Most of us dont fit this idealized figure since we grunt only when overeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/these-indians-are-fierce-they-wear-feathers-and-grunt-most-of-us-dont/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before the white men came, an Indian said simply "Ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/when-asked-by-an-anthropologist-what-the-indians-called-america/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Before any final solution to American history can occur, a reconciliation must be effected between the spiritual owner of the land - American Indians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/before-any-final-solution-to-american-history-can-occur-a/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [To be an Indian in modern American society is in a very real sense to be unreal and ahistorical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/to-be-an-indian-in-modern-american-society-is-in-a-very-real-sense-to/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Custer is said to have boasted that he could ride through the entire Sioux Nation with his Seventh Cavalry, and he was half right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/custer-is-said-to-have-boasted-that-he-could-ride-through-the-entire/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [But even labeling a site as astronomical is an improvement, since it partially sidesteps the old stereotype of Indians being primitive and ignorant savages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/but-even-labeling-a-site-as-astronomical-is-an-improvement-since-it/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [If the tribal peoples actually represented Western origins at a much earlier time, it was exceedingly valuable that they should be studied intensely for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/if-the-tribal-peoples-actually-represented-western-origins-at-a-much/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Who will find peace with the lands? The future of humankind lies waiting for those who will come to understand their lives and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/who-will-find-peace-with-the-lands-the-future-of-humankind-lies/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [The future of mankind lies waiting for those who will come to understand their lives and take up their responsibilities to all living things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/the-future-of-mankind-lies-waiting-for-those-who-will-come-to/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Culture, as Indian people understood it, was basically a lifestyle by which a people acted. It was self-expression, but not a conscious self-expression. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/culture-as-indian-people-understood-it-was-basically-a-lifestyle-by/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [Every society needs educated people, but the primary responsibility of educated people is to bring wisdom back into the community and make it available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/every-society-needs-educated-people-but-the-primary-responsibility-of/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) [Explore all 25 Vine Deloria Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) ## More Academic quotes > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/) [Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/) > [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [An academic discipline, or any other semiotic domain, for that matter, is not primarily content, in the sense of facts and principles. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-paul-gee/an-academic-discipline-or-any-other-semiotic-domain-for-that-matter/) [James Paul Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-paul-gee/) > [“In the end, ethical interpretation of the Bible means to think critically about how our practices of textual engagement might help us to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/in-the-end-ethical-interpretation-of-the-bible-means-to-think/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Perhaps art criticism cannot be reformed in a logical sense because it was never well-formed in the first place. Art criticism has long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/perhaps-art-criticism-cannot-be-reformed-in-a-logical-sense-because/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [And I'm the first one to tell people to break the rules. But you can only break the rules once you know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/and-i-m-the-first-one-to-tell-people-to-break-the-rules-but-you-can/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [Nietzsche's ideas and plans: for example, the idea of giving up the whole wretched academic world to form a secular monastic community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/nietzsche-s-ideas-and-plans-for-example-the-idea-of-giving-up-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [Quality afterschool programs provide safe, engaging and fun learning experiences to help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, cultural and academic skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-stabenow/quality-afterschool-programs-provide-safe-engaging-and-fun-learning/) [Debbie Stabenow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-stabenow/) > [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel. I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-am-not-an-academic-who-happens-to-have-written-a-novel-i-am-a/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) [Browse all 958 Academic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recognized by the academic establishment; in effect, the color of the skin guarantees scientific objectivity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vine Deloria Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/the-bottom-line-about-the-information-possessed-by-non-western/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Academic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/the-bottom-line-about-the-information-possessed-by-non-western/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/vine-deloria-jr-23632_academic_the-bottom-line-about-the-information-po_1577126.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid…” — Vine Deloria Jr", "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": "Vine Deloria Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The bottom line about the information...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/the-bottom-line-about-the-information-possessed-by-non-western/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/the-bottom-line-about-the-information-possessed-by-non-western/#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 } } ] } ```