"I believe all Southern liberals come from the same starting point-race. Once you figure out they are lying to you about race, you start to question everything. If you grew up white before the civil rights movement anywhere in the South, all grown-ups lied. They'd tell you stuff like, "Don't drink out of the colored fountain, dear, it's dirty." In the white part of town, the white fountain was always covered with chewing gum and the marks of grubby kids' paws, and the colored fountain was always clean. Children can be horribly logical. The first great political movement to come along in my lifetime was the civil rights movement, and I was for it. The second great question was the war in Vietnam, and I was against it. So they told me I was a double-dyed liberal. I said, "O.K." What did I know? Later on, people took to claiming it meant I was for big government, high taxes, and communism. That's when I learned never to let anyone else define my politics."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Introduction to Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? (1991)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Molly_Ivins
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Molly Ivins
Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins (30 August 1944 – 31 January 2007) was an American journalist specializing in Texas politics and culture, and in national politics.
27 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Molly Ivins →
Related Quotes
"There are two kinds of humor. One kind that makes us chuckle about our foibles and our shared humanity -- like what G…"
"In my youth, I aspired to be a great journalist. George Orwell, Albert Camus, and I. F. Stone were my heroes. Great w…"
"On a personal note: I have contracted an outstanding case of breast cancer, from which I intend to recover. I don’t n…"
"as we stagger toward the millenium, I can only hope that this modest oeuvre--as we often say in Amarillo will remind …"
"Nothing like a Republican convention to drive you screaming back into the arms of the Democrats. ("Notes from Another…"
"Women are receiving so many conflicting messages from this society that no matter what choices we make, or more often…"
"Many people did not care for Pat Buchanan's speech; it probably sounded better in the original German."
"Fear is the most dangerous emotion in politics. People do terrible things to one another out of fear. In my opinion, …"
"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughte…"
"All anyone needs to enjoy the state legislature is a strong stomach and a complete insensitivity to the needs of the …"