---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most ordinary Negro is a distinct…"
description: "\"The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it takes extraordinary training and opportunity to make the average white man anything but a hog.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg"
---

#  The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it…

![“The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it takes extraordinary training and opportunity to make the average white man anything but a hog.” quote by W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg)

> “The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it takes extraordinary training and opportunity to make the average white man anything but a hog.”

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Ordinary Black men are respectable, yet systemic barriers keep white men from humility.

**In simple terms:** Societal structures prevent white men from being humble.

Key Takeaway

Challenge systemic bias and promote equality.

Themes

race equality social justice

Mood

serious inspirational

Type

philosophical activist

When to use this quote

- education reform
- workplace diversity
- community leadership

Key Concepts

structural racism privilege human dignity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can education alter entrenched attitudes?
- What policies foster true equality?

A Different Perspective

Change requires confronting entrenched power.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Gentleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) [White man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-man/)

## Related quotes

> [People sometimes ask me if I would not give anything to be white, I answer, in the words of the song, most emphatically, 'No.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-williams/people-sometimes-ask-me-if-i-would-not-give-anything-to-be-white-i/)

[Bert Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-williams/)

> [The Negro wants to be everything but himself... He wants to integrate with the white man, but he cannot integrate with himself or with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-muhammad/the-negro-wants-to-be-everything-but-himself-he-wants-to-integrate/)

[Elijah Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-muhammad/)

> [A Negro just can't be whipped by somebody white and return with his head up in the neighborhood, especially in those days, when sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/a-negro-just-can-t-be-whipped-by-somebody-white-and-return-with-his/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [White man and black man, jew and gentile, protestant and catholic, will be able to hold hands and sing in the words of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/white-man-and-black-man-jew-and-gentile-protestant-and-catholic-will/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [ Most of \[ the Negro leaders\] who - who, whose existence or whose position of leadership depends upon the - on the subsidy or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/most-of-the-negro-leaders-who-who-whose-existence-or-whose-position/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I adore my black skin and my kinky hair. The Negro hair is more educated than the white man's hair. Because with Negro hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-maria-de-jesus/i-adore-my-black-skin-and-my-kinky-hair-the-negro-hair-is-more/)

[Carolina Maria de Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-maria-de-jesus/)

> [I talked and talked of everything I know about the white man's inhuman treatment of the Negro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-parks/i-talked-and-talked-of-everything-i-know-about-the-white-man-s/)

[Rosa Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-parks/)

> [Any negro who occupies a position that was given to him by the white man, if you analyze his function, his function never enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-negro-who-occupies-a-position-that-was-given-to-him-by-the-white/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [The Negro was taught to speak the white man's tongue, worship the white God, and accept the white man as his superior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-negro-was-taught-to-speak-the-white-man-s-tongue-worship-the/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [When the Negro finds the courage to be free, he faces dogs and guns and clubs and fire hoses totally unafraid, and the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-the-negro-finds-the-courage-to-be-free-he-faces-dogs-and-guns/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [If a white man falls off a chair drunk, it's just a drunk. If a Negro does, it's the whole damn Negro race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-a-white-man-falls-off-a-chair-drunk-it-s-just-a-drunk-if-a-negro/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [The first who attracts the eye, the first in enlightenment, in power and in happiness, is the white man, the European, man par excellence;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-first-who-attracts-the-eye-the-first-in-enlightenment-in-power/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [The Negro fought and bled and died in every war the white man waged, and he still won't give you justice. You nursed his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-negro-fought-and-bled-and-died-in-every-war-the-white-man-waged/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Now, suppose a Negro does something really magnificent, and I glory, not in the benefit to mankind, but in the fact that the doer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/now-suppose-a-negro-does-something-really-magnificent-and-i-glory-not/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [All peoples are struggling to blast a way through the industrial monopoly of races and nations, but the Negro as a whole has failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/all-peoples-are-struggling-to-blast-a-way-through-the-industrial/)

[Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/)

## More by W. E. B. Du Bois

> [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As a race, the Negroes are not lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-a-race-the-negroes-are-not-lazy/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [If there is anybody in this land who thoroughly believes that the meek shall inherit the earth they have not often let their presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/if-there-is-anybody-in-this-land-who-thoroughly-believes-that-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools - intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/men-we-shall-have-only-as-we-make-manhood-the-object-of-the-work-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Had it not been for the race problem early thrust upon me and enveloping me, I should have probably been an unquestioning worshipper at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/had-it-not-been-for-the-race-problem-early-thrust-upon-me-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before and after emancipation, the Negro, in self-defense, was propelled toward the white employer. The endowments of wealthy white men have developed great institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-and-after-emancipation-the-negro-in-self-defense-was-propelled/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The use of slave women as day workers naturally broke up or made impossible the normal Negro home, and this and the slave code…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-use-of-slave-women-as-day-workers-naturally-broke-up-or-made/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before the Civil War, the Negro was certainly as efficient a workman as the raw immigrant from Ireland or Germany. But, whereas the Irishmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-the-civil-war-the-negro-was-certainly-as-efficient-a-workman/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [All art is propaganda, and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-art-is-propaganda-and-ever-must-be-despite-the-wailing-of-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The ruling of men is the effort to direct the individual actions of many persons toward some end. This end theoretically should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-ruling-of-men-is-the-effort-to-direct-the-individual-actions-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/education-is-that-whole-system-of-human-training-within-and-without/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As Negro voting increased, Congress got an improved sense of hearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-negro-voting-increased-congress-got-an-improved-sense-of-hearing/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation which asserted the equality of all men, and sought to derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/from-the-day-of-its-birth-the-anomaly-of-slavery-plagued-a-nation/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is the stars, it is the ancient stars, it is the young and everlasting stars!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-the-stars-it-is-the-ancient-stars-it-is-the-young-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-a-peculiar-sensation-this-double-consciousness-this-sense-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

[Explore all 177 W. E. B. Du Bois quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## More Average quotes

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

Brian Reade

> [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/)

Buck Martinez

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/)

[Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/)

> [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/)

[Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/)

> [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/)

[Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/)

[George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/)

[Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/)

> [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/)

[Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

Browse all 2,816 Average quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it takes extraordinary training and opportunity to make the average white man anything but a hog.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. E. B. Du Bois"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-gentleman-but-it-takes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Average"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-gentleman-but-it-takes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_average_the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-ge_645765.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most ordinary Negro is a distinct gentleman, but it takes extraordinary training and opportunity to make…” — W. E. B. Du Bois",
                "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": "W. E. B. Du Bois",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most ordinary Negro is a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-gentleman-but-it-takes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-most-ordinary-negro-is-a-distinct-gentleman-but-it-takes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```