--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a Negro writer these days is a…" description: "\"Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/wallace-thurman-52358_black_being-a-negro-writer-these-days-is-a-rac_2578484.jpg" --- # Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going… ![“Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish” quote by Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/wallace-thurman-52358_black_being-a-negro-writer-these-days-is-a-rac_2578484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/wallace-thurman-52358_black_being-a-negro-writer-these-days-is-a-rac_2578484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/wallace-thurman-52358_black_being-a-negro-writer-these-days-is-a-rac_2578484.jpg) > “Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish” [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Black writers can leverage the current cultural moment, but must navigate fleeting opportunities and systemic barriers. **In simple terms:** Black writers seize fleeting cultural moments. Key Takeaway Create lasting impact despite limits. Themes culture race literature opportunity Mood determined reflective Type critical historical When to use this quote - publishing - academia - public speaking - activism Key Concepts racial renaissance market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can Black writers sustain momentum? - What responsibilities come with cultural renaissance? A Different Perspective Racism may limit lasting success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Genius Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-making-1421592/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Negro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro/) [Negro Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro-literary-1758568/) [Negro Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro-writer-1758567/) [Racket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racket/) [Renaissance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thank god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thank-god/) [These days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/these-days/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I wish the public were equally aware of the men of our race in the cultural fields. You, for instance, have you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/sometimes-i-wish-the-public-were-equally-aware-of-the-men-of-our-race/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [There will be, and should be, reams and reams of analysis, even praise, for our friend but also even larger measures of non-analysis and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/there-will-be-and-should-be-reams-and-reams-of-analysis-even-praise/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Do you know that there are libraries in our country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/negro-writers-just-by-being-black-have-been-on-the-blacklist-all-our/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [The genius is in making the complex simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-genius-is-in-making-the-complex-simple/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Genius is making complex ideas simple, not making simple ideas complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/genius-is-making-complex-ideas-simple-not-making-simple-ideas-complex/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Geniuses are commonly believed to excel other men in their power of sustained attention . . . 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You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Manners are manners. Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase have no respect. I don't want my kid seeing Nastase play. The demeanor you show on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/manners-are-manners-jimmy-connors-and-ilie-nastase-have-no-respect-i/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [As things get worse and the State seems powerless to help, the State will seem less and less legitimate. People will lose their moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/as-things-get-worse-and-the-state-seems-powerless-to-help-the-state/) [Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/) > [Intelligence is silence, truth is being invisible. But what a racket I make in declaring this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/intelligence-is-silence-truth-is-being-invisible-but-what-a-racket-i/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I'm trained as an actor for the stage - classically trained, believe it or not - and I worked closely with Stella Adler for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-richards/i-m-trained-as-an-actor-for-the-stage-classically-trained-believe-it/) [Michael Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-richards/) ## More by Wallace Thurman > [I cannot bear to associate with the ordinary run of people. I have to surround myself with individuals who for the most part are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-thurman/i-cannot-bear-to-associate-with-the-ordinary-run-of-people-i-have-to/) [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) > [The Negro and all things negroid had become a fad, and Harlem had become a shrine to which feverish pilgrimages were in order .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-thurman/the-negro-and-all-things-negroid-had-become-a-fad-and-harlem-had/) [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) > [Color prejudice and religion are akin in one respect. Some folks have it and some don't, and the kernel that is responsible for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-thurman/color-prejudice-and-religion-are-akin-in-one-respect-some-folks-have/) [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) > [If but a few live coals are found in a mountain of ashes, no one should be disappointed. 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Something must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-thurman/beloved-we-join-hands-here-to-pray-for-gin-an-aridity-defiles-us-our/) [Wallace Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) [Explore all 7 Wallace Thurman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-thurman/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. 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