---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was fascinated by the Black Panthers…"
description: "\"I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in contact with the Nation of Islam, thanks to Muhammad Ali, and their way of talking was that ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg"
---

#  I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in…

![“I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in contact with the Nation of Islam, thanks to Muhammad Ali, and their way of talking was that the whites were the devil, and they'd get rid of them once they took over.” quote by William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg)

> “I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in contact with the Nation of Islam, thanks to Muhammad Ali, and their way of talking was that the whites were the devil, and they'd get rid of them once they took over.”

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

## About This Quote

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

The Black Panthers’ rhetoric framed whites as evil, reflecting extremist narratives influenced by earlier movements.

**In simple terms:** Extremist groups can adopt hostile ideologies.

Key Takeaway

Question sources critically.

Themes

politics radicalism influence

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

historical analytical

When to use this quote

- activism
- education
- community dialogue
- policy making

Key Concepts

history media studies

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives groups to adopt extreme narratives?
- How can dialogue reduce hostility?

A Different Perspective

Extremist views can oversimplify complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Black Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-panthers/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) [Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panthers/) [Way of talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-talking/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm fascinated to see how 'Black Watch' connects with an American audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/i-m-fascinated-to-see-how-black-watch-connects-with-an-american/)

[John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/)

> [A lot of people don't understand the Black Panthers Party's relationship with white mother country radicals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hampton/a-lot-of-people-don-t-understand-the-black-panthers-party-s/)

[Fred Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hampton/)

> [As for those deserters, malcontents, radicals, incendiaries, the civil and uncivil disobedients among the young, SDS, PLP, Weathermen I and Weathermen II, the revolutionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiro-t-agnew/as-for-those-deserters-malcontents-radicals-incendiaries-the-civil/)

[Spiro T. Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spiro-t-agnew/)

> [If you look at the true essence of the Black Panthers, they were more of a community protection group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-mackie/if-you-look-at-the-true-essence-of-the-black-panthers-they-were-more/)

[Anthony Mackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-mackie/)

> [Malcolm X made it very clear that if somebody goes after you - whether it's cops or not - you have to defend yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/malcolm-x-made-it-very-clear-that-if-somebody-goes-after-you-whether/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [You can't imagine hip-hop without the Black Panthers. Today, hopefully, the movement can be an inspiration to people. These were people who made mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-nelson-jr/you-can-t-imagine-hip-hop-without-the-black-panthers-today-hopefully/)

[Stanley Nelson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-nelson-jr/)

> [My mother was a woman. A black woman. A single mother. Raising two kids on her own. So she was dark skinned. Had short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/my-mother-was-a-woman-a-black-woman-a-single-mother-raising-two-kids/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [I am proud that my daughter believes, as I do, that hungry children should be fed whether they are Black Panthers or White Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/i-am-proud-that-my-daughter-believes-as-i-do-that-hungry-children/)

[Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/)

> [We should remember what a rapper like Tupac Shakur was doing, to a certain degree, who came from an experience of politicization very close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bocafloja/we-should-remember-what-a-rapper-like-tupac-shakur-was-doing-to-a/)

[Bocafloja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bocafloja/)

> [I always tried to raise money for the Black Panthers through business schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/i-always-tried-to-raise-money-for-the-black-panthers-through-business/)

[Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/)

> [“...and now, in the season of the Radical Chic, the Black Panthers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/and-now-in-the-season-of-the-radical-chic-the-black-panthers/)

[Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/)

> [In its attempt to crush the Black Panthers, the FBI engineered frequent arrests on the flimsiest of pretexts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/in-its-attempt-to-crush-the-black-panthers-the-fbi-engineered/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [Not since the Black Panthers sailed into their Upper East Side tea party has there been so daffy an exercise in radical chic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/not-since-the-black-panthers-sailed-into-their-upper-east-side-tea/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [ First of all, \[St. Stephen's\] is a radical church. It was one of the first DC churches to have gay ceremonies. A woman said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/first-of-all-st-stephen-s-is-a-radical-church-it-was-one-of-the-first/)

[Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/)

> [Yippies, Hippies, Yahoos, Black Panthers, lions and tigers alike - I would swap the whole damn zoo for the kind of young Americans I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiro-t-agnew/yippies-hippies-yahoos-black-panthers-lions-and-tigers-alike-i-would/)

[Spiro T. Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spiro-t-agnew/)

## More by William Klein

> [I always thought I was going to be an artist. I used to draw, and I would read Russian novels until 3 or 4…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-always-thought-i-was-going-to-be-an-artist-i-used-to-draw-and-i/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [Being an expatriate doesn't go down well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/being-an-expatriate-doesn-t-go-down-well-in-america/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [I was 24 years old at the time. I had no real notion of what photography was about. I had no training. By accident,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-24-years-old-at-the-time-i-had-no-real-notion-of-what/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [I have always done the opposite of what I was trained to do... Having little technical background, I became a photographer. Adopting a machine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-have-always-done-the-opposite-of-what-i-was-trained-to-do-having/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [The best critics of America are Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/the-best-critics-of-america-are-americans/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [My father was like Willy Loman, you know: he never really made it - and he was from a family where there were people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-father-was-like-willy-loman-you-know-he-never-really-made-it-and/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [My father was convinced that America was the greatest place in the world. I'm afraid I didn't have the family I would have dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-father-was-convinced-that-america-was-the-greatest-place-in-the/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [This is supposed to be the Big Apple, with neighborhoods where the houses are all good-looking and the skyscrapers and everything. But to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/this-is-supposed-to-be-the-big-apple-with-neighborhoods-where-the/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [The English are very exotic to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/the-english-are-very-exotic-to-me/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [I feel like I'm doing something that's worthwhile. I feel like I'm showing something other people haven't shown. I don't get to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-feel-like-i-m-doing-something-that-s-worthwhile-i-feel-like-i-m/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [The kinetic quality of New York, the kids, dirt, madness - I tried to find a photographic style that would come close to it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/the-kinetic-quality-of-new-york-the-kids-dirt-madness-i-tried-to-find/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [In America, kids would go to college and get out and buy a second-hand car and go across the country and discover America. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/in-america-kids-would-go-to-college-and-get-out-and-buy-a-second-hand/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [Sometimes, I'd take shots without aiming, just to see what happened. I'd rush into crowds - bang! bang! ... It must be close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/sometimes-i-d-take-shots-without-aiming-just-to-see-what-happened-i-d/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [Don't have rules, taboos, or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/don-t-have-rules-taboos-or-limits/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

> [My way of living and working is that I'll do my thing. I went from one thing to another. That annoyed people. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-way-of-living-and-working-is-that-i-ll-do-my-thing-i-went-from-one/)

[William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

[Explore all 75 William Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/)

## 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

> [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

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in contact with the Nation of Islam, thanks to Muhammad Ali, and their way of talking was that the whites were the devil, and they'd get rid of them once they took over.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Klein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-because-i-d-been-in-contact/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-because-i-d-been-in-contact/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/william-klein-9048_black_i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-b_2590909.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was fascinated by the Black Panthers because I'd been in contact with the Nation of Islam, thanks to…” — William Klein",
                "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": "William Klein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was fascinated by the Black...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-because-i-d-been-in-contact/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-fascinated-by-the-black-panthers-because-i-d-been-in-contact/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
