Blacks have had to learn to protect
â
Blacks have had to learn to protect themselves
by being cynical but not cynical enough to slam
the door on potential opportunities.
We go through life walking a tightrope
to prevent too much disillusionment.
â
Meaning
This quote means black Americans often had to protect themselves with skepticism while still remaining open to real opportunities. Survival required emotional balance.
About Author
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was an American baseball player and civil rights activist, famously breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. His quotes often reflect courage, determination, and equality. Robinson inspires athletes, activists, and leaders to challenge injustice, persevere against adversity, and make a lasting impact in sports and society.
Related Quotes
â It kills me to lose. If I'm a troublemaker, and I don't think that my temper makes me one, then it's because I can't stand losing. That's the way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first. â
This quote means his fierce competitiveness, more than bad temper, explains the conflicts around him. The drive to win defined his character.
â The colonel replied that he didn't care how my men had got the job done. He was happy that it had been accomplished. He said that, obviously, no matter how much or how little I knew technically, I was able to get the best out of people I worked with. â
This quote means effective leadership is less about technical expertise than about bringing out the best in people. Results reveal the quality of the leader.
â A new breed of Republicans has taken over the GOP. It is a new breed which is seeking to sell to Americans a doctrine which is as old as mankind the doctrine of racial division, the doctrine of racial prejudice, the doctrine of white supremacy. â
This quote condemns a political movement built on racial division and white supremacy. It warns that prejudice was being repackaged as policy.