--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All told, perhaps the most significant…" description: "\"“All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the Great Migration was the act of leaving itself, regardless of the individual outcome. Despite the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg" --- # All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the… ![“All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the Great Migration was the act of leaving itself, regardless of the individual outcome. Despite the private disappointments and triumphs of any individual migrant, the Migration, in some ways, was its own point. The achievement was in making the…” quote by Vintage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg) > ““All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the Great Migration was the act of leaving itself, regardless of the individual outcome. Despite the private disappointments and triumphs of any individual migrant, the Migration, in some ways, was its own point. The achievement was in making the decision to be free and acting on that decision, wherever that journey led them.”” Vintage ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The act of leaving, regardless of outcome, defines the Great Migration; freedom is measured by the decision to move and act upon it. **In simple terms:** Leaving defines the migration’s significance. Key Takeaway Embrace freedom through action. Themes freedom migration choice Mood reflective hopeful Type historical social When to use this quote - education - activism - storytelling Key Concepts historical analysis personal growth social movements Questions to Reflect On - What does “leaving” symbolize? - How to honor migrants’ experiences? A Different Perspective Historical context may be contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-migration/) [Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration/) ## Related quotes > [Well, I'm a daughter of the great migration as, really, the majority of African Americans that you meet in the north and west are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/well-i-m-a-daughter-of-the-great-migration-as-really-the-majority-of/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [My parents absolutely did not think of themselves as part of the Great Migration. They knew they were part of a great wave. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/my-parents-absolutely-did-not-think-of-themselves-as-part-of-the/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [What I love about the stories of the Great Migration is that this is not ancient history; this is living history. Most people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/what-i-love-about-the-stories-of-the-great-migration-is-that-this-is/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [ The suburbanization and the ghettos that were created as a result of the limits of where \[African-Americans\] could live in the North \[still exist… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/the-suburbanization-and-the-ghettos-that-were-created-as-a-result-of/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [There are certain things that we take for granted that simply would not have existed without the great migration. Motown, for example, would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/there-are-certain-things-that-we-take-for-granted-that-simply-would/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [ \[The Great Migration\] had such an effect on almost every aspect of our lives - from the music that we listen to to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/the-great-migration-had-such-an-effect-on-almost-every-aspect-of-our/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [And in some ways, to me, that's one of the inspiring and powerful things about the Great Migration itself. There was no leader, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/and-in-some-ways-to-me-that-s-one-of-the-inspiring-and-powerful/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [Immigration is a kind of pilgrimage. That's the way I see it. Just to go back to the desert, biblical metaphors, that's the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-martinez/immigration-is-a-kind-of-pilgrimage-that-s-the-way-i-see-it-just-to/) Ruben Martinez > [“Great Migration. It would become perhaps the biggest underreported story of the twentieth century. It was vast. It was leaderless. It crept along so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/great-migration-it-would-become-perhaps-the-biggest-underreported/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [At the beginning of the 20th century, before the migration began, 90 percent of all African-Americans were living in the South. By the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/at-the-beginning-of-the-20th-century-before-the-migration-began-90/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [The Great Migration can get forgotten if we don't pay attention or bear witness to it. It's part of my personal history and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/the-great-migration-can-get-forgotten-if-we-don-t-pay-attention-or/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [What will make the 'Bitter Root' film unique is that it is a Black-owned, Black-created storyline steeped in the history of the Harlem Renaissance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/what-will-make-the-bitter-root-film-unique-is-that-it-is-a-black/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [“Some historians, in fact, suggest Hartford recruiters may have pioneered strategies that spurred the great migration of Southern rural blacks to Northern cities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-eaton/some-historians-in-fact-suggest-hartford-recruiters-may-have/) Susan Eaton > [The Great Migration changed American history not just for the migrants but for all of us. It made possible American cultural milestones like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/the-great-migration-changed-american-history-not-just-for-the/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [Californians tend to be outspoken. When the great migration began, the more timid people must have stayed home, and the bolder ones headed west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/californians-tend-to-be-outspoken-when-the-great-migration-began-the/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) ## More by Vintage > [“A car pulls up at the corner and a girl in an Air France uniform with a trim, tailored skirt gets out. The car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vintage/a-car-pulls-up-at-the-corner-and-a-girl-in-an-air-france-uniform-with/) Vintage Explore all 2 Vintage quotes ## More Migration quotes > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We need to fight to prove to people that it is possible to form an E.U. migration policy that is in line with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-orban/we-need-to-fight-to-prove-to-people-that-it-is-possible-to-form-an-e/) [Viktor Orban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-orban/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I believe that many lives around us now can reflect this strange pattern of migration and movement. The question is: are we aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-dawes/i-believe-that-many-lives-around-us-now-can-reflect-this-strange/) [Kwame Dawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-dawes/) > [If our goal is to slow migration, then the best way to do so is to work for a more equitable global system. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviva-chomsky/if-our-goal-is-to-slow-migration-then-the-best-way-to-do-so-is-to/) Aviva Chomsky > [Migration is a feature of globalisation. You can’t stop it; so every time a political party says it is going to be tough on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hodge/migration-is-a-feature-of-globalisation-you-can-t-stop-it-so-every/) [Margaret Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hodge/) > [“You must regard this deviation from your plan as part of the adventure that you sought when you decided to embark on it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yamey/you-must-regard-this-deviation-from-your-plan-as-part-of-the/) Adam Yamey > [“South of Larissa the landscape began to change. Jude watched an irrigation machine like a giant stick insect creeping over a field, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-alkazraji/south-of-larissa-the-landscape-began-to-change-jude-watched-an/) [Paul Alkazraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-alkazraji/) > [The first Black Migration to this country was forced migration. It was the Middle Passage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/the-first-black-migration-to-this-country-was-forced-migration-it-was/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [I am not against migration. It is simply pragmatic to restrict migration, while at the same time encouraging integration and fighting discrimination. I support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-am-not-against-migration-it-is-simply-pragmatic-to-restrict/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [Migration powers economic growth, reduces inequalities, and connects diverse societies. Yet it is also a source of political tensions and human tragedies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/migration-powers-economic-growth-reduces-inequalities-and-connects/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [We are in the middle of a tough, ideological conflict that is being waged across the entire continent. On the one side are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-are-in-the-middle-of-a-tough-ideological-conflict-that-is-being/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/the-aim-is-to-create-here-in-britain-a-really-hostile-environment-for/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [Electronic aids, particularly domestic computers, will helpthe inner migration, the opting out of reality. Reality is no longer going to be the stuff out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/electronic-aids-particularly-domestic-computers-will-helpthe-inner/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I think those who say that you can't tango if you are not Argentine are mistaken. Tango was an immigrant music... so it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-gavito/i-think-those-who-say-that-you-can-t-tango-if-you-are-not-argentine/) [Carlos Gavito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-gavito/) [Browse all 291 Migration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the Great Migration was the act of leaving itself, regardless of the individual outcome. Despite the private disappointments and triumphs of any individual migrant, the Migration, in some ways, was its own point. The achievement was in making the decision to be free and acting on that decision, wherever that journey led them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vintage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vintage/all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-measure-of-the-great-migration/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Migration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vintage/all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-measure-of-the-great-migration/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/vintage-93922_migration_all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-me_588045.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All told, perhaps the most significant measure of the Great Migration was the act of leaving itself…” — Vintage", "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": "Vintage", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vintage/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“All told, perhaps the most significant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vintage/all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-measure-of-the-great-migration/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vintage/all-told-perhaps-the-most-significant-measure-of-the-great-migration/#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 } } ] } ```