“What people outside this country, particularly in Europe, think about this country, what they like about it is generally something that comes out of black culture. It’s jazz. It’s even language. Think about what this country would be like without us. I wouldn’t even visit!”— Toni Morrison, granta.comTagged: Ethnocentrism, Europe, Jazz, Black Culture
“When somebody like Frederick Douglass wrote a book, he was writing to white people—legitimately—because he wanted them to behave, set him free. That was the audience. Not for me. Tolstoy was not writing for little girls from Ohio. He was writing for Russians, right? I’m writing to, about, and for ot…”— Toni Morrison, granta.comTagged: Frederick Douglass, Leo Tolstoy, Ohio, russians, Writing
“All Ethiopians are beautiful! There are no ugly Ethiopians.”— Toni Morrison, granta.comTagged: Ethiopians, Beautiful
“Think about it: If you come to this country from Germany, or Russia, or anywhere, you get off the boat, get on the land. But in order to become an American, you have to be white.”— Toni Morrison, granta.comTagged: Germany, Russia, Whiteness