Derrick Bell Quotes

#1. I do not forget that I am a mechanic. I am proud to own it. Neither do I forget that the apostle Paul was a tentmaker; Socrates was a sculptor; and Archimedes was a mechanic.

Andrew Jackson

#2. She dumb." I sigh. "But she ain't stupid.

Kathryn Stockett

#3. And why wander in these labyrinths? Once more, for aesthetic reasons; because this present infinity, these "vertiginous symmetries," have their tragic beauty. The form is more important than the content.

Andre Maurois

#4. A rule without exceptions is an instrument capable of doing mischief to the innocent and bringing grief
as well as injustice
to those who should gain exemptions from the rule's functioning.

Derrick A. Bell

#5. Power in the hands of the reformer is no less potentially corrupting than in the hands of the oppressor.

Derrick A. Bell

#6. The Function of Leadership is to produce more Leaders, Not more Followers.

Ralph Nader

#7. My wife says I spend my life trying to teach white folks. I'm not so sure I'm proud of it, but she's right.

Derrick Bell

#8. Give up being right. Instead radiate peace, harmony, love, and laughter from your heart.

Deepak Chopra

#9. Resistance is a powerful motivator precisely because it enables us to fulfill our longing to achieve our goals while letting us boldly recognize and name the obstacles to those achievements.

Derrick A. Bell

#10. Education leads to enlightenment. Enlightenment opens the way to empathy. Empathy foreshadows reform.

Derrick A. Bell

#11. I go to readings by fiction writers like Alice Walker, and I'm envious of the level of attention they generate.

Derrick Bell

#12. It appears that my worst fears have been realised: we have made progress in everything yet nothing has changed.

Derrick Bell

#13. All ethical people strive to choose "right" over "easy" when confronted by situations that force them to choose one or the other.

Derrick Bell

#14. We live in a system that espouses merit, equality, and a level playing field, but exalts those with wealth, power, and celebrity, however gained.

Derrick A. Bell

#15. We should not have the U.S. government buying stock in American industries - the financial industry or any other industry.

Rand Paul

#16. Self-esteem is like a difficult-to-cultivate flower. It requires frequent nurturing that occurs when you keep your word and follow through on your promises.

Derrick Bell

#17. However self-sufficient we may fancy ourselves, we exist only in relation
to our friend, family, and life partners; to those we teach and mentor; to our co-workers, neighbors, strangers; and even to forces we cannot fully conceive of, let alone define. In many ways, we are our relationships.

Derrick A. Bell

#18. Courage is a decision you make to act in a way that works through your own fear for the greater good as opposed to pure self-interest. Courage means putting at risk your immediate self-interest for what you believe is right.

Derrick A. Bell

#19. Few whites are ready to actively promote civil rights for blacks.

Derrick Bell

#20. I was a teenage boy once too, you know," Uncle Mort said, popping back up. "I know what your brain looks like. It's a three-ring circus in there.

Gina Damico

#21. Slavery is, as an example of what white America has done, a constant reminder of what white America might do.

Derrick Bell

#22. The challenge throughout has been to tell what I view as the truth about racism without causing disabling despair.

Derrick Bell

#23. I live to harass white folks.

Derrick Bell

#24. Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy.

Benjamin Franklin