Clarence Thomas

“Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.”

“This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. And from my standpoint, as a black American, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves...”

“I don't believe in quotas. America was founded on a philosophy of individual rights, not group rights.”

“It takes a person with a mission to succeed.”

“And I don't think that government has a role in telling people how to live their lives.”

“The thing that concerns me is that we're teaching kids that it's okay to be a victim.”

“In my humble opinion, those who come to engage in debates of consequence, and who challenge accepted wisdom, should expect to be treated badly.”

“I am a man, a black man, an American.”

“I am what I am and I'm not changing.”

“My grandfather was a man, when he was cut he bled, when he was hungry he ate, and when he went to the trough he drank.”

“I have to admit that, you know, I’m not a person who is a fan of government.”

“I was sympathetic to virtually all groups that wanted to get away from the old system.”

“Rather than challenging the concept of class="highlight">race, we have made it a protected class.”